Etymograph

English

cherish

Cherish comes from Old French cheriss-, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *keh₂- ‘to desire’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*keh₂-1‘to desire’root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400cheriss-1
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500charish1
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1590cherish1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English cherish
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1590, Edmund Spenser, Book II, Canto VI: “And by the way, as was her wonted guize,…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*keh₂-Wiktionary, English cherish‘to desire’root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400cheriss-Wiktionary, English cherish
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500charishWiktionary, English cherish
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1590cherishWiktionary, English cherish. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1590, Edmund Spenser, Book II, Canto VI: “And by the way, as was her wonted guize,…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *keh₂- ‘to desire’

charity, whore, caress, kama, 5 more

Today it means

verb To treat with affection, care, and tenderness; to nurture or protect with care.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “cherish”. 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 *keh₂- / cherish

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