English
assure
Assure comes from Old French asseurer ‘to assure’, from Latin securus ‘secure’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeys- ‘to see’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷeys-1‘to see’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kʷoizā1‘care’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcūra1‘care’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsecurus2‘secure’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400asseurer2‘to assure’
- Englishearliest quotation 1590assure2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin securus
- 2 Wiktionary, English assure
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1590, Edmund Spenser, Book II, Canto II: “That as a law for euer should endure; /…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷeys-Wiktionary, Latin securus‘to see’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kʷoizāWiktionary, Latin securus‘care’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcūraWiktionary, Latin securus‘care’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsecurusWiktionary, English assure‘secure’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400asseurerWiktionary, English assure‘to assure’
- Englishearliest quotation 1590assureWiktionary, English assure. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1590, Edmund Spenser, Book II, Canto II: “That as a law for euer should endure; /…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kʷeys- ‘to see’
through Proto-Italic *kʷoizā ‘care’
procurement, manicure, procurator, 5 more
through Latin cūra ‘care’
proxy, cure, curator, incurable, curation, 9 more
through Latin securus ‘secure’
Today it means
verb To make sure and secure; ensure.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “assure”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin securus. 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 *kʷeys- / assure