English
instruct
Instruct comes from Latin īnstrūctus ‘arranged’, from īnstruō ‘I instruct’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *strew- ‘to spread, strew’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*strew-‘to spread, strew’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*stréwetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*strowō‘to pile up’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstruō‘pile up, arrange’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEīnstruō‘I instruct’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEīnstrūctus‘arranged’perfect passive participle of īnstruō
- Englishearliest quotation 1591instruct
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*strew-‘to spread, strew’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*stréwetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*strowō‘to pile up’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstruō‘pile up, arrange’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEīnstruō‘I instruct’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEīnstrūctus‘arranged’perfect passive participle of īnstruō
- Englishearliest quotation 1591instruct
Earliest quotation: 1591, William Shakespeare, The First Part of Henry the Sixt: “What, shall a child instruct you what to do?”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *strew- ‘to spread, strew’
straw, strain, stray, constructive, obstruction, obstruct, perestroika, stripling, misconstrue, 10 more
through Proto-Italic *strowō ‘to pile up’
through Latin struō ‘pile up, arrange’
destroy, construction, structure, destruction, destructive, construct, construe, 6 more
Today it means
verb To teach by giving instructions.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *strew- / instruct