Etymograph

English

assiduous

Assiduous comes from Latin assiduus ‘constant, regular, perpetual’, from assidere ‘to sit down to’, and ultimately from sedere.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsedere1‘to sit’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEassidere1‘to sit down to’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEassiduus1‘constant, regular, perpetual’
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1831assiduous1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English assiduous
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1831, Sir Walter Scott: “He was officious in the right time and place,…”.

Earlier history not traced here. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsedereWiktionary, English assiduous‘to sit’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEassidereWiktionary, English assiduous‘to sit down to’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEassiduusWiktionary, English assiduous‘constant, regular, perpetual’
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1831assiduousWiktionary, English assiduous. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1831, Sir Walter Scott: “He was officious in the right time and place,…”

The story

A learned borrowing from Latin assiduus, from assidere (‘to sit down to’), from ad- (‘to’) + sedere (‘to sit’).

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Latin sedere ‘to sit’

preside, 3 more

through Latin assidere ‘to sit down to’

size, sewer

Today it means

adj Hard-working, diligent or regular (in attendance or work); industrious.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “assiduous”. 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 / Latin sedere / assiduous

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