English
ire
Ire comes from Latin īra ‘wrath, rage’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₁eysh₂- ‘to fall upon, act sharply’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁eysh₂-‘to fall upon, act sharply’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEīra‘wrath, rage’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400ire
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘anger, wrath’
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1587same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁eysh₂-‘to fall upon, act sharply’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEīra‘wrath, rage’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400ire
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘anger, wrath’
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1587same form
Earliest quotation: a. 1587, Philippe Sidnei [i.e., (please specify the folio): “She lik'd not his desire; Fain would be free…”
Linked words
through Latin īra ‘wrath, rage’
Today it means
noun Great anger; wrath; keen resentment.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.