Etymograph

English

chirurgy

Chirurgy comes from Middle English cirurgie ‘surgery’, from Ancient Greek χειρουργέω ‘to make/craft/play by hand’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰes-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰes-1‘hand’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰésōr1‘hand’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kʰéhər1reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχείρ1kheír‘hand’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχειρουργός1kheirourgós‘craftsman’
  6. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχειρουργέω1kheirourgéō‘to make/craft/play by hand’
  7. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχειρουργίᾱ̆1kheirourgíā̆
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEchīrurgia2
  9. Old Frenchc. 842–1400cirurgie2
  10. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500cirurgie2‘surgery’
  11. Englishtodaychirurgy2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin chirurgia
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English chirurgy

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰes-Wiktionary, Latin chirurgia‘hand’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰésōrWiktionary, Latin chirurgia‘hand’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kʰéhərWiktionary, Latin chirurgiareconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχείρWiktionary, Latin chirurgiakheír‘hand’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχειρουργόςWiktionary, Latin chirurgiakheirourgós‘craftsman’
  6. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχειρουργέωWiktionary, Latin chirurgiakheirourgéō‘to make/craft/play by hand’
  7. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχειρουργίᾱ̆Wiktionary, Latin chirurgiakheirourgíā̆
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEchīrurgiaWiktionary, English chirurgy
  9. Old Frenchc. 842–1400cirurgieWiktionary, English chirurgy
  10. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500cirurgieWiktionary, English chirurgy‘surgery’
  11. EnglishtodaychirurgyWiktionary, English chirurgy

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰes- ‘hand’

host, millionaire, kilometre, garter, hasta, 36 more

through Ancient Greek χείρ ‘hand’

surgically, chiral, neurosurgical, 34 more

through Ancient Greek χειρουργός ‘craftsman’

surgical, 31 more

through Ancient Greek χειρουργίᾱ̆

microsurgery, 1 more

through Latin chīrurgia

surgery, surgeon, 2 more

Today it means

noun surgery

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “chirurgy”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin chirurgia. 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 *ǵʰes- / chirurgy

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