English
square
Square comes from Old French esquarre, from Vulgar Latin *exquadra, from Latin quadrō ‘to make square’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwṓr ‘four’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷetwṓr‘four’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kʷettwōr‘four’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquattuor‘four’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEquadrus‘square’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEquadrō‘to make square’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*exquadrōreconstructed
- Vulgar Latin, derivedc. 100–700 CE*exquadrareconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400esquarre‘square’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500square‘a square’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1588–1593square
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷetwṓr‘four’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kʷettwōr‘four’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquattuor‘four’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEquadrus‘square’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEquadrō‘to make square’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*exquadrōreconstructed
- Vulgar Latin, derivedc. 100–700 CE*exquadrareconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400esquarre‘square’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500square‘a square’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1588–1593square
Earliest quotation: c. 1588–1593, William Shakespeare, The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus: “Are you such fools / To square for this?”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwṓr
through Latin quattuor ‘four’
cater, quadruple, cadre, cuatro, quatre, quatrain, 25 more
through Latin quadrus
through Latin quadro ‘to make four-cornered, square, make square’
Today it means
noun A polygon with four straight sides of equal length and four right angles; an equilateral rectangle; a regular quadrilateral.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwṓr / square