English
insomnia
Insomnia comes from Latin īnsomnia ‘sleeplessness, insomnia’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *swep-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*swep-‘to sleep’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*swépnos‘sleep, slumber’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsomnus‘sleep’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEin- -is
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEinsomnis
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEīnsomnia‘sleeplessness, insomnia’
- Englishearliest quotation 2024insomnia
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*swep-‘to sleep’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*swépnos‘sleep, slumber’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsomnus‘sleep’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEin- -is
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEinsomnis
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEīnsomnia‘sleeplessness, insomnia’
- Englishearliest quotation 2024insomnia
Earliest quotation: 2024, Madeline Holcombe, What to do on the nights you are struggling with insomnia, a: “It’s also possible for insomnia to be caused by…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *swep- ‘to sleep’
hypnosis, hypnotic, soporific, 19 more
through Latin in- -is
Today it means
noun A sleeping disorder that is known for its symptoms of unrest and the inability to sleep.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *swep- / insomnia