English
quaint
Quaint comes from Middle English queynte ‘adept, competent, well-taught’, from Latin cognōscō ‘to know’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- ‘to recognise’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵneh₃-‘to recognise’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵn̥h₃sḱéti‘to recognise’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gnōskō‘to know, get to know’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgnōscō‘to know’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcognōscō‘to know’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcognituspast participle of cognōscō
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400cointe
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500queynte‘adept, competent, well-taught’
- Englishearliest quotation 1590quaint
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵneh₃-‘to recognise’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵn̥h₃sḱéti‘to recognise’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gnōskō‘to know, get to know’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgnōscō‘to know’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcognōscō‘to know’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcognituspast participle of cognōscō
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400cointe
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500queynte‘adept, competent, well-taught’
- Englishearliest quotation 1590quaint
Earliest quotation: 1590, Edmund Spenser, Book III, Canto VII: “She, nothing quaint / Nor 'sdeignfull of so homely…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- ‘to recognise’
can, know, could, normal, ignore, recognition, narrative, glory, con, ken, keen, norm, ignorant, prognosis, narration, cunning, canny, connoisseur, uncouth, canna, kith, gnosis, recognizance, cun, 84 more
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵn̥h₃sḱéti ‘to recognise’
diagnostic, gnome, agnostic, 40 more
through Proto-Italic *gnōskō ‘to know, get to know’
denote, annotation, noblesse, ignoble, 34 more
through Latin gnōscō ‘to know’
note, notice, noble, notion, notorious, notation, nobility, notoriety, notary, annotate, 34 more
through Latin cognōscō ‘to know’
recognize, cognizance, precognition, 14 more
through Latin cognitus
Today it means
adj Of a person: cunning, crafty.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- / quaint