English
vicarious
Vicarious comes from Latin vicārius ‘vicarious, substituted’, from vicis ‘change’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyk- ‘to sift, separate’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyk-‘to sift, separate’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvicis‘change’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEvicārius‘vicarious, substituted’
- Englishearliest quotation 1886vicarious
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyk-‘to sift, separate’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvicis‘change’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEvicārius‘vicarious, substituted’
- Englishearliest quotation 1886vicarious
Earliest quotation: 1886, Robert Louis Stevenson: “The pleasures which I made haste to seek in…”
first attested First attested in the 17th century (as stated in the etymology)
The story
First attested in the 17th century.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *weyk- ‘to sift, separate’
victory, province, victim, weakness, witch, convince, icon, victor, wicked, wo, conviction, invincible, wight, convict, weakly, eviction, vanquish, wile, evict, ancona, waw, 33 more
Today it means
adj Delegated.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *weyk- / vicarious