English
union
Union comes from Middle English unyoun, from Old French union, from Late Latin ūniō ‘oneness’, from Latin ūnus ‘one’, ultimately from PIE *h₁óynos ‘one’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁óynos‘one’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*oinos‘one’reconstructed
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEoinos
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEūnus‘one’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEūniō‘oneness’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400union
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500unyoun
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1599–1602union
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁óynos‘one’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*oinos‘one’reconstructed
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEoinos
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEūnus‘one’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEūniō‘oneness’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400union
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500unyoun
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1599–1602union
Earliest quotation: c. 1599–1602, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: “And in the cup an union shall he throw,…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos ‘one, single’
an, no, any, one, only, none, 20 more
through Proto-Italic *oinos ‘one’
through Old Latin oinos
through Latin ūnus ‘one’
unique, universal, uno, triune, 15 more
through Late Latin ūniō ‘oneness, unity’
Today it means
noun The act of uniting or joining two or more things into one.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos / union