Etymograph

English

individual

Individual comes from Medieval Latin indīviduālis ‘indivisible’, from Latin dīviduus ‘divisible’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁- ‘to divide’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁weydʰh₁-‘to divide’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wiðōreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*vidō‘to separate’reconstructed
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīvidō‘divide’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīviduus‘divisible’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEindīviduus‘indivisible’
  7. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEindīviduum‘an indivisible thing’neuter of indīviduus
  8. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500indīviduālis‘indivisible’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1982individual

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁weydʰh₁-‘to divide’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wiðōreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*vidō‘to separate’reconstructed
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīvidō‘divide’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīviduus‘divisible’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEindīviduus‘indivisible’
  7. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEindīviduum‘an indivisible thing’neuter of indīviduus
  8. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500indīviduālis‘indivisible’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1982individual

Earliest quotation: 1982, Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms:: “Every individual is equal before and under the law…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁- ‘to divide’

wood, wide, widow, fid, 11 more

through Latin *vidō ‘to separate’

dividend, 7 more

through Latin dīvidō ‘divide’

device, division, divide, devise, divisible, 6 more

Today it means

noun A person considered alone, rather than as belonging to a group of people.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁- / individual

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