Etymograph

English

absolute

Absolute comes from Latin absolūtus ‘unconditional’, and goes back to absolvō.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEabsolvō1‘loosen’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEabsolūtus1‘unconditional’perfect passive participle of absolvō
  3. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600absolut1
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500absolut1
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1599absolute1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English absolute
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1599, William Shakespeare: “Indeed, my lord, it is a most absolute and…”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEabsolvōWiktionary, English absolute‘loosen’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEabsolūtusWiktionary, English absolute‘unconditional’perfect passive participle of absolvō
  3. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600absolutWiktionary, English absolute
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500absolutWiktionary, English absolute
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1599absoluteWiktionary, English absolute. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1599, William Shakespeare: “Indeed, my lord, it is a most absolute and…”

A compound of ab ‘away’ + solvo ‘to loose’

Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep

Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó ‘off, away’

Proto-Italic *ap ‘from, off, away’

Latin ab ‘away’

Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁- ‘to cut off, release’

Proto-Indo-European *luh₁éti

Proto-Italic [Term?]

Latin luō ‘to untie, set free, separate’

Latin solvo ‘to loose’

first attested First attested around 1380 (as stated in Wiktionary’s etymology)

The story

First attested around 1380. Influenced in part by Old French absolu.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Explore everything descended from absolvō →

No ads, ever. This is how the app stays alive.

Become a founding member, $29 onceWear this word, $32Support the app

Today it means

adj Free of restrictions, limitations, qualifications or conditions; unconditional.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “absolute”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin absolvō / absolute