English
passage
Passage comes from Old French passer ‘to pass’, from Latin passus ‘step’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- ‘to spread’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peth₂-‘to spread’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pat-s-tusreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpassus‘step’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*passāre‘go through, pass by’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400passer‘to pass’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400passage
- Englishearliest quotation 1886same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peth₂-‘to spread’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pat-s-tusreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpassus‘step’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*passāre‘go through, pass by’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400passer‘to pass’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400passage
- Englishearliest quotation 1886same form
Earliest quotation: 1886, Pacific medical journal: “He claimed that he felt the passage of the…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- ‘to spread’
repeat, compete, pen, expansion, petition, expand, helicopter, patent, competitor, feather, symptom, perpetual, impetus, perpetuate, spawn, expanse, perpetuity, pennant, petulant, pinion, impetuous, patina, patella, penna, pata, petulance, 81 more
through Latin passus ‘step’
mile, pace, passive, compass, pas, 9 more
through Old French passer ‘to pass’
Another origin of passage
- Italianc. 1300–presentpasso
- Italian, derivedc. 1300–presentpasseggiare‘to walk, to take a walk, to promenade, to stroll’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentpassager‘passenger’
- Englishtodaypassage
Today it means
noun A paragraph or section of text or music with particular meaning.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- / passage