English
search
Search comes from Middle English serchen, from Anglo-Norman sercher, from Late Latin circō ‘to go around, search for’, from circus.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcircus‘circle’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcircō‘to circle; go around; search for’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400sercher
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500serchen‘to scrutinise’
- Englishearliest quotation 1485search
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcircus‘circle’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcircō‘to circle; go around; search for’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400sercher
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500serchen‘to scrutinise’
- Englishearliest quotation 1485search
Earliest quotation: 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, xvj: “Now torne we to the xj kynges that retorned…”
The story
Unrelated to German suchen, which is cognate with English seek.
Every English word from Latin circus
Today it means
noun An attempt to find something.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin circus / search