Etymograph

English

longevity

Longevity comes from Latin longaevitās ‘long life, longevity’, from longaevus ‘ancient, aged’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ey- ‘vital force, life, age, eternity’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ey-‘vital force, life, age, eternity’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂óyu‘long time, lifetime’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂oywomreconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*aiwom‘age’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaevum‘time, eternity’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElongaevus‘ancient, aged’
  7. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElongaevitās‘long life, longevity’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 2018longevity

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ey-‘vital force, life, age, eternity’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂óyu‘long time, lifetime’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂oywomreconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*aiwom‘age’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaevum‘time, eternity’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElongaevus‘ancient, aged’
  7. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElongaevitās‘long life, longevity’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 2018longevity

Earliest quotation: 2018, James Lambert, Anglo-Indian slang in dictionaries on historical principles: “A ‘postdating’ is an example of the use of…”

The story

Early 17th century, learned borrowing from Latin longaevitās, from longaevus (‘ancient, aged’) + -itās. The first part is related to English long and this association led to the alternative pronunciation with /ŋ/.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ey- ‘vital force, life, age, eternity’

early, young, era, diet, enigma, ere, 24 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂óyu ‘long time, lifetime’

yet, junior, juvenile, juvenal, 7 more

through Proto-Italic *aiwom ‘age’

age, eternally, 9 more

through Latin aevum ‘time, eternity’

eternal, eternity, eval, 7 more

Today it means

noun The quality of being long-lasting, especially of life.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂ey- / longevity

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