English
tardy
Tardy comes from French tardif ‘late, belated’, from Latin tardus ‘slow”, “sluggish’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *terh₂- ‘to cross over, pass through, overcome’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*terh₂-‘to cross over, pass through, overcome’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*tr̥h₂-d-o-reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tardo-reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtardus‘slow”, “sluggish’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEtardīvus‘late’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400tardif
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘late, belated’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1593tardy
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*terh₂-‘to cross over, pass through, overcome’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*tr̥h₂-d-o-reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tardo-reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtardus‘slow”, “sluggish’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEtardīvus‘late’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400tardif
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘late, belated’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1593tardy
Earliest quotation: c. 1593, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]: “Be not ta’en tardy by unwise delay.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *terh₂- ‘to cross over, pass through, overcome’
through, enter, trans, thorough, tram, avatar, tranquillity, torus, très, sarai, 20 more
through Proto-Italic *tardo-
through Latin tardus ‘slow”, “sluggish’
Today it means
adj Late; overdue or delayed.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *terh₂- / tardy