English
aition
Aition comes from Ancient Greek αἴτῐος ‘cause’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂ey- ‘to give’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ey-1‘to give’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEαἴτῐος2aítionas αἴτιον‘cause’
- Englishearliest quotation 2020aition2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek αἴτιος, which cites Beekes
- 2 Wiktionary, English aition
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2020, David M. Halperin et al., Before Sexuality: “This helps us to understand why Greek initiatory rituals…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ey-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek αἴτιος, which cites Beekes‘to give’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEαἴτῐοςWiktionary, English aitionaítionas αἴτιον‘cause’
- Englishearliest quotation 2020aitionWiktionary, English aition. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2020, David M. Halperin et al., Before Sexuality: “This helps us to understand why Greek initiatory rituals…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ey- ‘to give’
early, young, age, era, diet, junior, juvenile, enigma, longevity, ere, juvenal, 22 more
Today it means
noun An origin story or myth in Ancient Greece.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “aition”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Ancient Greek αἴτιος. 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 *h₂ey- / aition