Etymograph

English

argument

Argument comes from Old French arguement, from Latin argūmentum ‘proof’, from arguō ‘to make clear, prove’, perhaps from Proto-Italic *argus ‘bright’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂erǵ-1‘white, shining’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂érǵus1‘white’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*argus1‘bright’uncertain
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarguō1‘to make clear, prove’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEargūmentum1‘argument, proof’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400arguement1
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500argument1
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1570argument1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English argument
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1570, Margaret Ascham, Principall Secretarie to the Quenes Most Excellent Maiestie”: “[I]n vttering the ſtuffe ye receiued of the one,…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂erǵ-Wiktionary, English argument‘white, shining’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂érǵusWiktionary, English argument‘white’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*argusWiktionary, English argument‘bright’uncertain
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarguōWiktionary, English argument‘to make clear, prove’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEargūmentumWiktionary, English argument‘argument, proof’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400arguementWiktionary, English argument
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500argumentWiktionary, English argument
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1570argumentWiktionary, English argument. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1570, Margaret Ascham, Principall Secretarie to the Quenes Most Excellent Maiestie”: “[I]n vttering the ſtuffe ye receiued of the one,…”

Formed from argue + -ment

Latin arguō ‘to make clear, prove, accuse’

Old French arguer ‘to argue’

Middle English arguen ‘to argue’

English argue

The story

The English word is analysable as argue + -ment.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂erǵ- ‘white, shining’

argentine, argent, 54 more

through Latin arguō ‘to clarify, to make plain’

argue, arguable, 31 more

Today it means

noun A fact or statement used to support a proposition; a reason.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “argument”. 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 *h₂erǵ- / argument

Shirt and support for this word