Etymograph

English

affair

Affair comes from Old French afaire ‘character’, from faire ‘to do’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁k-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁k-1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁kyéti1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*θakjō1reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fakjō1‘to make’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfacio1‘to make, construct, fashion, frame, build, erect’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400faire1‘to do’
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400afaire1‘character’
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500afere1
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1749affair1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English affair
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1749, John Cleland, Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure: “... ſhe, with the greateſt effrontery imaginable, unbuttons his…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁k-Wiktionary, English affairreconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁kyétiWiktionary, English affairreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*θakjōWiktionary, English affairreconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fakjōWiktionary, English affair‘to make’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfacioWiktionary, English affair‘to make, construct, fashion, frame, build, erect’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400faireWiktionary, English affair‘to do’
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400afaireWiktionary, English affair‘character’
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500afereWiktionary, English affair
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1749affairWiktionary, English affair. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1749, John Cleland, Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure: “... ſhe, with the greateſt effrontery imaginable, unbuttons his…”

Linked words

through Proto-Italic *θakjō

effectively, effectiveness, ineffective, affectionate, imperfection, putrefaction, 62 more

through Proto-Italic *fakjō ‘to make’

effective, factor, difficulty, perfection, interface, manufacture, faction, affection, imperfect, facet, defection, affective, defector, effector, confectionary, deface, affectation, 68 more

through Latin facio ‘to make, construct, fashion, frame, build, erect’

perfect, face, fact, difficult, feature, effect, profit, facility, infection, sacrifice, efficient, affect, faculty, deficit, feat, facial, facilitate, defect, fetish, superficial, efficacy, counterfeit, infect, deficient, facade, facsimile, hacienda, maleficent, beautify, confection, aficionado, efficacious, refectory, confit, difficile, facies, beneficent, 85 more

through Old French faire ‘to do’

parfait

Today it means

noun Something which is done or is to be done; business of any kind, commercial, professional, or public.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “affair”. 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 / Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁k- / affair

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