English
augmentation
Augmentation comes from Old French augmentacion ‘increase’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewg-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ewg-1‘to increase, to enlarge’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂owg-éye-ti1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*augejō1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*augeō1‘to increase’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaugeō1‘to increase, augment, enlarge, spread, expand’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaugmentum1‘increase, augmentation’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaugmentō2‘to increase, augment’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaugmentātiō2‘increase’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400augmentacion2‘increase’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500augmentation2
- Englishearliest quotation 1687augmentation2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin augmento
- 2 Wiktionary, English augmentation
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1687, John Aubrey, Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme: “A small tablet is fixt near the Altar, upon…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ewg-Wiktionary, Latin augmento‘to increase, to enlarge’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂owg-éye-tiWiktionary, Latin augmentoreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*augejōWiktionary, Latin augmentoreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*augeōWiktionary, Latin augmento‘to increase’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaugeōWiktionary, Latin augmento‘to increase, augment, enlarge, spread, expand’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaugmentumWiktionary, Latin augmento‘increase, augmentation’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaugmentōWiktionary, English augmentation‘to increase, augment’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaugmentātiōWiktionary, English augmentation‘increase’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400augmentacionWiktionary, English augmentation‘increase’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500augmentationWiktionary, English augmentation
- Englishearliest quotation 1687augmentationWiktionary, English augmentation. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1687, John Aubrey, Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme: “A small tablet is fixt near the Altar, upon…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewg- ‘to increase, to enlarge’
august, nickname, authorize, eke, 9 more
through Proto-Italic *augeō ‘to increase’
through Latin augeō ‘to increase, augment, enlarge, spread, expand’
Today it means
noun The act or process of augmenting.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “augmentation”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin augmento. 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 *h₂ewg- / augmentation