English
treasure
Treasure comes from Middle English tresour ‘treasure, hoard’, from Ancient Greek τίθημι ‘to put, place, deposit, set, assume, settle’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁-‘to put, place’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰé-dʰeh₁-tireconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*t(e/i)tʰēmireconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτίθημιtíthēmi‘to put, place, deposit, set, assume, settle’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEθησαυρόςthēsaurós‘treasure house’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEthēsaurus
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*tresaurusreconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400tresor‘treasury’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tresour‘treasure, hoard’
- Englishearliest quotation 1611treasure
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁-‘to put, place’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰé-dʰeh₁-tireconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*t(e/i)tʰēmireconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτίθημιtíthēmi‘to put, place, deposit, set, assume, settle’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEθησαυρόςthēsaurós‘treasure house’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEthēsaurus
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*tresaurusreconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400tresor‘treasury’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tresour‘treasure, hoard’
- Englishearliest quotation 1611treasure
Earliest quotation: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “Ye shall be peculiar treasure unto me.”
The story
Mostly displaced native Old English goldhord (See goldhoard) and Old English ġestrēon.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to put, place’
do, fact, hot, deal, fair, defense, fan, benefit, mid, fashion, theme, defence, custom, ethnic, feature, sufficient, ethical, aesthetic, defendant, synthetic, theology, doom, deed, dis, atheist, ethic, auditorium, auditor, feast, atheism, demi, deem, spade, thematic, ethos, forfeit, feral, fanatic, familial, medial, 126 more
through Proto-Hellenic *t(e/i)tʰēmi
through Ancient Greek τίθημι ‘to put, place, deposit, set, assume, settle’
synthesis, tick, epithet, 16 more
through Latin thēsaurus
Today it means
noun A collection of valuable things; accumulated wealth; a stock of money, jewels, etc.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- / treasure