English
trinity
Trinity comes from Latin trīnitās ‘threeness’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *tréyes.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tréyes‘three’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*trejesreconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*trēs‘three’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtrēs‘three’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtrīnī‘three each’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtrīnitās‘threeness’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400trinite
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500trinite‘a triad’
- Englishearliest quotation 1907trinity
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tréyes‘three’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*trejesreconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*trēs‘three’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtrēs‘three’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtrīnī‘three each’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtrīnitās‘threeness’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400trinite
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500trinite‘a triad’
- Englishearliest quotation 1907trinity
Earliest quotation: 1907, Robert William Chambers, New York: “But when the moon rose and the breeze awakened,…”
Equivalent to trine + -ity
Proto-Indo-European *tri- ‘three, threefold’
…
Proto-Italic *triznos
Latin trīnus ‘three each’
Middle French trin
Middle English trine ‘trine, triple’
English trine
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *tréyes ‘three’
three, tri, tern, troika, 11 more
through Latin trēs ‘three’
distribution, contribute, tribute, tribe, tribal, tribunal, trio, tribune, trey, tres, triplex, 9 more
Today it means
noun A group or set of three people or things; three things combined into one.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *tréyes / trinity