Etymograph

English

insouciant

Insouciant comes from French insouciant ‘carefree, without worries’, from soucier ‘worrying’, and ultimately from Latin sollicitō.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsollicitō
  2. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600soucyer‘to worry’
  3. Frenchc. 1600–presentsoucieras souciant‘worrying’
  4. French, derivedc. 1600–presentinsouciant‘carefree, without worries’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1834same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsollicitō
  2. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600soucyer‘to worry’
  3. Frenchc. 1600–presentsoucieras souciant‘worrying’
  4. French, derivedc. 1600–presentinsouciant‘carefree, without worries’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1834same form

Earliest quotation: 1834, Theresa Lewis, Dacre: A Novel. … In Three Volumes: “I am quite serious in saying that your loss…”

Linked words

through Latin sollicitō

solicitation, solicit, 2 more

Today it means

adj Casually unconcerned; carefree, indifferent, nonchalant.

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

Etymograph / Latin sollicitō / insouciant

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