Etymograph

English

appointment

Appointment comes from Middle English appoyntement, and goes back to Old French appointement.

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400appointement1
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500appoyntement1
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1611appointment1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English appointment
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “According to the appointment of the priests.”.

Lineage

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400appointementWiktionary, English appointment
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500appoyntementWiktionary, English appointment
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1611appointmentWiktionary, English appointment. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “According to the appointment of the priests.”

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Today it means

noun The act of appointing a person to hold an office or to have a position of trust.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “appointment”. 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 / Old French appointement / appointment