Etymograph

English

augmentative

Augmentative comes from Latin augmentō ‘to increase, augment’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewg-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ewg-1‘to increase, to enlarge’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂owg-éye-ti1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*augejō1reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*augeō1‘to increase’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaugeō1‘to increase, augment, enlarge, spread, expand’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaugmentum1‘increase, augmentation’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaugmentō2‘to increase, augment’
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaugmentātīvus2
  9. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600augmentatif2
  10. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500augmentatif2
  11. Englishtodayaugmentative2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin augmento
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English augmentative

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ewg-Wiktionary, Latin augmento‘to increase, to enlarge’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂owg-éye-tiWiktionary, Latin augmentoreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*augejōWiktionary, Latin augmentoreconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*augeōWiktionary, Latin augmento‘to increase’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaugeōWiktionary, Latin augmento‘to increase, augment, enlarge, spread, expand’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaugmentumWiktionary, Latin augmento‘increase, augmentation’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaugmentōWiktionary, English augmentative‘to increase, augment’
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaugmentātīvusWiktionary, English augmentative
  9. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600augmentatifWiktionary, English augmentative
  10. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500augmentatifWiktionary, English augmentative
  11. EnglishtodayaugmentativeWiktionary, English augmentative

Equivalent to augment + -ative

Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewg- ‘to increase, to enlarge’

…

Late Latin augmentare ‘to increase’

Old French augmenter

Middle French augmenter

Middle English augmenten ‘to add to’

English augment

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewg- ‘to increase, to enlarge’

august, nickname, authorize, eke, 9 more

through Proto-Italic *augeō ‘to increase’

authority, auxiliary, 6 more

through Latin augeō ‘to increase, augment, enlarge, spread, expand’

author, auction, auteur, 6 more

Today it means

adj That which augments.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “augmentative”; 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- / augmentative

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