Etymograph

English

commune

Commune comes from Latin commūne ‘community, state’, from commūnis ‘common’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘to change’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mey-1‘to change’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱom-moy-ni-s1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kommoinis1‘common’reconstructed
  4. Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEco(m)moinis1
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcommūnis2‘common’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcommūne2‘community, state’
  7. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500commūnia2
  8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400comune2
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500commune2
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1850commune2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin communis
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English commune
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1850, [Alfred, (please specify |part=Prologue or Epilogue, or |canto=I to C: “For days of happy commune dead.”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mey-Wiktionary, Latin communis‘to change’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱom-moy-ni-sWiktionary, Latin communisreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kommoinisWiktionary, Latin communis‘common’reconstructed
  4. Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEco(m)moinisWiktionary, Latin communis
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcommūnisWiktionary, English commune‘common’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcommūneWiktionary, English commune‘community, state’
  7. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500commūniaWiktionary, English commune
  8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400comuneWiktionary, English commune
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500communeWiktionary, English commune
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1850communeWiktionary, English commune. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1850, [Alfred, (please specify |part=Prologue or Epilogue, or |canto=I to C: “For days of happy commune dead.”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘to change’

mean, met, minister, minute, ministry, minor, mess, meal, commission, min, menu, missile, mere, mutual, minus, dismiss, premise, compromise, commit, mole, mayhem, ammunition, municipality, noodle, intermittent, immunity, moor, immune, mural, ammo, mite, remuneration, monolith, omit, minstrel, mitra, mitre, mitosis, meiosis, missive, 73 more

through Old Latin co(m)moinis

commonly, 3 more

through Latin commūnis ‘common’

common, telecommunication, excommunication, 21 more

Another origin of commune

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mey-‘to attach, bind, strengthen’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱom-moy-ni-sreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kommoinis‘common’reconstructed
  4. Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEcomoinis
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcommūnis‘common, public, general’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcommūnico‘to impart, share’
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400comuner
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500communen
  9. Englishtodaycommune

Today it means

noun A small community, often rural, whose members share in the ownership of property, and in the division of labour; the members of such a community.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “commune”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin communis. 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 *mey- / commune

Shirt and support for this word