English
jostle
Jostle comes from Old French joster ‘to joust’, from Latin iuxtā ‘next to’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *yunégti ~ *yungénti.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*yunégti ~ *yungéntireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*jungō‘to join’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEiungō‘join, connect’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEiuxtā‘next to’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*iuxtārereconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400joster‘to joust’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500jousten
- Englishearliest quotation 1791jostle
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*yunégti ~ *yungéntireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*jungō‘to join’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEiungō‘join, connect’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEiuxtā‘next to’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*iuxtārereconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400joster‘to joust’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500jousten
- Englishearliest quotation 1791jostle
Earliest quotation: 1791, Mary Wollstonecraft, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson: “Besides, various are the paths to power and fame…”
The story
Originally justle (‘to have sex with’), formed from Middle English jousten, from the Old French joster (‘to joust’), from Latin iuxtā (‘next to’), from iungō (‘join, connect’), equivalent to joust + -le.
Linked words
through Proto-Italic *jungō ‘to join’
conjunction, adjoining, joiner, disjoint, disjunction, adjoint, enjoin, 9 more
through Latin iungō ‘join, connect’
join, junction, junta, adjunct, juncture, subjunctive, conjunct, 16 more
through Latin iuxtā ‘next to’
Today it means
verb To bump into or brush against while in motion; to push aside.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *yunégti ~ *yungénti / jostle