English
accomplish
Accomplish comes from Old French acompliss-, from Latin compleo ‘fill up/out, complete’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pleh₁-‘to fill’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*plēō‘to fill’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpleō‘Combining form used to form prefixed verbs with the approximate meaning "to fill"’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcompleoas complēre‘fill up/out, complete’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*(ac)complīrereconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400acompliss-
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500accomplisshen
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1591–1592accomplish
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pleh₁-‘to fill’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*plēō‘to fill’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpleō‘Combining form used to form prefixed verbs with the approximate meaning "to fill"’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcompleoas complēre‘fill up/out, complete’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*(ac)complīrereconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400acompliss-
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500accomplisshen
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1591–1592accomplish
Earliest quotation: c. 1591–1592, William Shakespeare, The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]: “And more unlikely / Than to accomplish twenty golden…”
first attested First attested in the late 14th century (as stated in the etymology)
The story
First attested in the late 14th century.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- ‘to fill’
full, public, plus, fill, plenty, complete, poll, plain, popularity, folk, plural, ample, plethora, plenary, amplitude, puri, amplify, replenish, plenum, volk, plebs, plebeian, fulsome, 72 more
through Proto-Italic *plēō ‘to fill’
people, popular, publication, publican, 14 more
through Latin pleō ‘Combining form used to form prefixed verbs…’
supply, implement, supplement, manipulation, depletion, replete, deplete, 10 more
through Latin compleo ‘fill up/out, complete’
Today it means
verb To finish successfully.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- / accomplish