Etymograph

English

venerable

Venerable comes from Latin venerabilis ‘venerable, august’, from veneror ‘to worship, revere’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- ‘to strive, wish, love’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wenh₁-‘to strive, wish, love’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wénh₁-os ~ *wénh₁-es-os‘loveliness’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvenus‘loveliness, attractiveness, beauty, grace, elegance, charm’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEveneror‘to worship, revere’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEvenerabilis‘venerable, august’
  6. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600vénérable
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1894venerable

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wenh₁-‘to strive, wish, love’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wénh₁-os ~ *wénh₁-es-os‘loveliness’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvenus‘loveliness, attractiveness, beauty, grace, elegance, charm’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEveneror‘to worship, revere’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEvenerabilis‘venerable, august’
  6. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600vénérable
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1894venerable

Earliest quotation: 1894, – 1895 November, Thomas Hardy: “And then bills were sent in, and the question…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- ‘to strive, wish, love’

win, won, wish, wonder, wont, wen, venom, wynn, wean, winsome, ween, 20 more

Today it means

adj Commanding respect because of age, dignity, character or position.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- / venerable

Shirt and support for this word