English
violent
Violent comes from Old French violent, from Latin violentus, from violō ‘to use force’, related to vīs ‘strength’, from Proto-Indo-European *wéyHs.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyh₁-‘to rush’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wéyHs‘force’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wīs‘strength’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvīs‘strength’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEviolō‘to violate, use force’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEviolentus‘forcible’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400violent
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500violent‘violent, forcible’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1591–1595violent
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyh₁-‘to rush’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wéyHs‘force’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wīs‘strength’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvīs‘strength’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEviolō‘to violate, use force’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEviolentus‘forcible’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400violent
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500violent‘violent, forcible’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1591–1595violent
Earliest quotation: c. 1591–1595, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet: “These violent delights have violent ends.”
The story
For the verb, compare French violenter.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *weyh₁- ‘to rush’
previous, obvious, virtual, voyage, convey, inevitable, virtue, trivial, trivia, envoy, deviation, virtuous, wer, virtuoso, venison, ochre, deviant, viaduct, virility, virile, trivium, virago, obviate, 54 more
through Proto-Italic *wīs ‘strength, force, power’
vengeance, avenge, vindication, 9 more
through Latin vīs ‘strength’
Today it means
adj Involving extreme force or motion.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *weyh₁- / violent