English
college
College comes from Middle English college, from Middle French college, from Old French college, from Latin collēgium ‘colleagueship’, from collēga ‘colleague’, from con- + lēgō ‘to appoint’.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lēks1reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElēx1‘law; formal motion for a law’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElēgō1‘to appoint’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcollēga1‘a partner, colleague’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcollēgium1‘colleagueship’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400college1‘institution’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600college1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500college1
- Englishearliest quotation 1911college1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English college
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1911, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough: “The Salii were not limited to Rome; similar colleges…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lēksWiktionary, English collegereconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElēxWiktionary, English college‘law; formal motion for a law’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElēgōWiktionary, English college‘to appoint’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcollēgaWiktionary, English college‘a partner, colleague’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcollēgiumWiktionary, English college‘colleagueship’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400collegeWiktionary, English college‘institution’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600collegeWiktionary, English college
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500collegeWiktionary, English college
- Englishearliest quotation 1911collegeWiktionary, English college. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1911, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough: “The Salii were not limited to Rome; similar colleges…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- ‘to lie’
law, low, lie, lawyer, fellow, layer, log, litter, lair, lawless, ledger, ledge, lees, lig, underlay, leaguer, lagan, lias, 20 more
through Proto-Indo-European *lḗgʰs
disloyalty, illegality, 8 more
through Proto-Italic *lēks ‘law’
through Latin lēx ‘the legal machinery of a state, the law’
lay, legal, loyal, lex, leal, 12 more
through Latin lēgō
election, elite, lesson, select, eligible, lecture, legacy, elect, legend, delegation, elegant, coil, legion, delegate, negligence, negligible, diligent, negligent, cull, legible, lectern, legation, relegate, ineligibility, legate, lector, 29 more
Today it means
noun A specialized division of a university.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “college”. 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-Italic *lēks / college