Etymograph

English

senator

Senator comes from Latin senātor, from senātus ‘senate’, from senex ‘old’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sénos ‘old’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sénos‘old’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*seneksreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsenex‘old’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEsenātus‘senate’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEsenātor‘senator’
  6. Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588senator

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sénos‘old’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*seneksreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsenex‘old’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEsenātus‘senate’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEsenātor‘senator’
  6. Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588senator

Earliest quotation: c. 1587–1588, Christopher Marlowe, Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […]: “Both we will raigne as Conſuls of the earth,…”

Formed from senate + -or

Proto-Indo-European *sénos ‘old’

…

Latin senex ‘old man; old’

Latin senātus ‘council of elders, senate’

Old French senat

Middle English senat

English senate

Linked words

through Latin senex ‘old’

sir, senior, sire, monsignor, senile, signore, signoria, senescent, sene, 10 more

Today it means

noun A member, normally elected, in the house or chamber of a legislature called a senate, as, for instance, the legislatures of the United States and Canada.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *sénos / senator

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