Etymograph

English

calendar

Calendar comes from Latin calendarium ‘account book’, from kalendae ‘the first day of the month’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- ‘to call out to’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kelh₁-1‘to call out to’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEkalō1‘to announce solemnly, to call out’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEkalendae1‘the first day of the month’next step skipped: Latin calendārius
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcalendarium1‘account book’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400calendier1
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500kalender1‘a calendar’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1625calendar1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English calendar
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1625, Francis Bacon, Of Seditions and Troubles. XV.: “Shepherds of People, had need know the Kalenders of…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kelh₁-Wiktionary, English calendar‘to call out to’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEkalōWiktionary, English calendar‘to announce solemnly, to call out’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEkalendaeWiktionary, English calendar‘the first day of the month’next step skipped: Latin calendārius
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcalendariumWiktionary, English calendar‘account book’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400calendierWiktionary, English calendar
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500kalenderWiktionary, English calendar‘a calendar’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1625calendarWiktionary, English calendar. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1625, Francis Bacon, Of Seditions and Troubles. XV.: “Shepherds of People, had need know the Kalenders of…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- ‘to call out to’

low, hell, claim, clear, classic, claire, haul, declare, reconciliation, clarity, proclamation, classify, reconcile, clarification, reclamation, exclamation, clarinet, clarion, squeal, clamor, clamour, irreconcilable, claret, clas, ecclesiastic, conciliar, ecclesial, 36 more

Today it means

noun Any system by which time is divided into days, weeks, months, and years.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “calendar”. 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 *kelh₁- / calendar

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