English
suspect
Suspect comes from Old French suspect, from Latin suspectus, past participle of suspiciō ‘to mistrust’ (sub ‘under’ + speciō ‘to look’).
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsuspiciō‘mistrust’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEsuspectusperfect passive participle of suspiciō
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400suspect
- Englishearliest quotation 1667same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsuspiciō‘mistrust’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEsuspectusperfect passive participle of suspiciō
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400suspect
- Englishearliest quotation 1667same form
Earliest quotation: 1667, John Milton, Book IX: “From her hand I could suspect no ill.”
A compound of sub ‘under’ + speciō ‘watch, look at’
Proto-Indo-European *upó ‘up; from below’
Proto-Italic *supo ‘under’
Latin sub ‘under’
Proto-Indo-European *speḱ- ‘to see, to look, to observe’
Proto-Indo-European *spéḱyeti ‘to be looking at, to keep looking at’
Proto-Italic *spekjō ‘to observe, see’
Latin speciō ‘watch, look at’
Linked words
through Latin suspiciō ‘mistrust, suspect’
Today it means
verb To imagine or suppose (something) to be true, or to exist, without proof.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin suspiciō / suspect