Etymograph

English

affirmative

Affirmative comes from Latin affirmativus ‘affirming, affirmative’, from affirmō ‘to assert’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰer- ‘to support’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰer-1‘to support’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰermos1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*θermos1reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fermos1reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfirmus1‘strong, powerful’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfirmō1‘strengthen, fortify’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaffirmō2as affirmare‘to assert’
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaffirmativus2‘affirming, affirmative’
  9. Old Frenchc. 842–1400affirmatif2
  10. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500affirmative2
  11. Englishearliest quotation 1646affirmative2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin affirmo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English affirmative
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1646, Sir Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica: “that every hare is both male and female, beside…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰer-Wiktionary, Latin affirmo‘to support’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰermosWiktionary, Latin affirmoreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*θermosWiktionary, Latin affirmoreconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fermosWiktionary, Latin affirmoreconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfirmusWiktionary, Latin affirmo‘strong, powerful’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfirmōWiktionary, Latin affirmo‘strengthen, fortify’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaffirmōWiktionary, English affirmativeas affirmare‘to assert’
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaffirmativusWiktionary, English affirmative‘affirming, affirmative’
  9. Old Frenchc. 842–1400affirmatifWiktionary, English affirmative
  10. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500affirmativeWiktionary, English affirmative
  11. Englishearliest quotation 1646affirmativeWiktionary, English affirmative. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1646, Sir Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica: “that every hare is both male and female, beside…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *dʰer- ‘to support’

dark, drug, dry, drama, dare, throne, drain, drone, feasible, refrain, darn, formidable, drastic, dazed, dharma, dor, dern, 38 more

through Proto-Italic *fermos

confirmation, 6 more

through Latin firmus ‘strong, powerful’

confirm, infirmary, infirm, firmament, 8 more

through Latin firmō ‘strengthen, fortify’

firm, 6 more

Today it means

adj pertaining to truth; asserting that something is; affirming

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “affirmative”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin affirmo. 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 *dʰer- / affirmative

Shirt and support for this word