English
play
Play comes from Old English plegian ‘to play’, from Proto-West Germanic *plegōn ‘to move; to engage, practice’, and ultimately from *plegō ‘an exercise’, whose origin is debated.
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*plegō‘an exercise’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*plegōn‘to move; to engage, practice’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150plegian‘to play’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500pleyen‘to engage in a game or sport’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1590–1592play
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*plegō‘an exercise’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*plegōn‘to move; to engage, practice’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150plegian‘to play’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500pleyen‘to engage in a game or sport’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1590–1592play
Earliest quotation: c. 1590–1592, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew: “the waving sedges play with wind”.
The story
Related also to Old English plēon (‘to risk, endanger’).
Linked words
through Proto-West Germanic *plehan ‘to care about, be concerned with’
Today it means
verb To act in a manner such that one has fun; to engage in activities expressly for the purpose of recreation or entertainment.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-West Germanic *plegō / play