English
schedule
Schedule comes from Middle English cedule, from Old French cedule, from Late Latin schedula ‘papyrus strip’, diminutive of scheda, from Greek σχέδη ‘papyrus leaf’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσχέδηskhédē‘leaf, page’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEscheda‘strip of papyrus’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEschedula‘papyrus strip’diminutive of scheda
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400cedule
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1900schedule
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσχέδηskhédē‘leaf, page’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEscheda‘strip of papyrus’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEschedula‘papyrus strip’diminutive of scheda
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400cedule
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1900schedule
Earliest quotation: 1900, John the Stylite, Select Narratives of Holy Women (Studia Sinaitica; X): “He demands the blood-written schedule back from the demon,…”
The story
This word was historically pronounced /ˈsɛdjuːl/, /ˈsɛdʒuːl/; the pronunciations with /ʃ/ and /sk/ are due to the spelling (the latter may have been reinforced by learned influence); compare schism.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *skeyd- ‘to divide, split’
shit, rescind, rescission, schismatic, 23 more
through Proto-Indo-European *skid-yé-ti
Today it means
noun A procedural plan, usually but not necessarily tabular in nature, indicating a sequence of operations and the planned times at which those operations are to occur.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek σχέδη / schedule