English
indifferent
Indifferent comes from Latin differēns ‘spreading, scattering, dispersing, separating’, from ferō ‘to bear’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰer-‘to bear, carry’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéreti‘to be carrying’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*ferō‘to carry, bear’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEferō‘to bear’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdifferō‘to carry different ways, spread, scatter, disperse, separate’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdifferēns‘spreading, scattering, dispersing, separating’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEindifferēns
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400indifferent
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1590–1592same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰer-‘to bear, carry’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéreti‘to be carrying’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*ferō‘to carry, bear’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEferō‘to bear’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdifferō‘to carry different ways, spread, scatter, disperse, separate’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdifferēns‘spreading, scattering, dispersing, separating’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEindifferēns
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400indifferent
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1590–1592same form
Earliest quotation: c. 1590–1592, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew: “[…] let their heads be sleekly comb’d, their blue…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- ‘to bear, carry’
bar, birth, broad, bread, fortune, prefer, burden, bearing, barrel, barn, fury, baron, bark, bore, breeze, broom, barrow, embargo, berth, fret, ferret, furtive, insufferable, bahar, bier, birr, bairn, burnish, barrette, proffer, 115 more
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti ‘to be carrying’
bear, borne, phosphate, phosphorus, euphoria, dysphoria, semaphore, phosphine, 93 more
through Proto-Italic *ferō ‘to carry, bear’
suffering, infertility, infertile, 69 more
through Latin ferō ‘to bear’
offer, transfer, translation, relative, reference, relation, extraordinary, relate, frustration, suffer, translate, strangely, fertility, referee, fertile, referendum, extravagant, frustrate, elated, confer, fertilization, extraneous, ablation, infra, elation, differentiation, infer, collation, strangeness, deference, collate, fertilize, ablative, oblate, estrange, deferential, efferent, 72 more
through Latin differō ‘to carry different ways, spread, scatter,…’
differ, defer, dilate, 40 more
through Latin differēns ‘spreading, scattering, dispersing, separating’
difference, differently, differentially, differentiable, differentiator, 37 more
Today it means
adj Ambivalent; unconcerned; uninterested, apathetic.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- / indifferent