English
competent
Competent comes from Latin competō ‘coincide, be equal to, be capable of’, from petō ‘to seek, aim, head for’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- ‘to spread out’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peth₂-1‘to spread out’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*péth₂eti1‘to fly’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpetō1‘to seek, aim, head for’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcompetō2‘coincide, be equal to, be capable of’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcompetens2present participle of competō
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400competent2
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500competent2
- Englishearliest quotation 1662competent2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin competo
- 2 Wiktionary, English competent
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1662, Henry More, An Antidote Against Atheism: “For if they [birds] had been Viviparous, the burthen…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peth₂-Wiktionary, Latin competo‘to spread out’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*péth₂etiWiktionary, Latin competo‘to fly’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpetōWiktionary, Latin competo‘to seek, aim, head for’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcompetōWiktionary, English competent‘coincide, be equal to, be capable of’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcompetensWiktionary, English competentpresent participle of competō
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400competentWiktionary, English competent
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500competentWiktionary, English competent
- Englishearliest quotation 1662competentWiktionary, English competent. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1662, Henry More, An Antidote Against Atheism: “For if they [birds] had been Viviparous, the burthen…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- ‘to spread out’
pass, mile, expansion, expand, pen, helicopter, feather, patent, spawn, symptom, expanse, patina, pinion, pata, pennant, patella, penna, 83 more
through Proto-Indo-European *péth₂eti ‘to fly’
through Latin petō ‘to seek, aim, head for’
repeat, petition, perpetual, impetus, perpetuate, perpetuity, petulant, impetuous, petulance, 16 more
through Latin competens
Today it means
adj Having sufficient skill, knowledge, ability, or qualifications.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “competent”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin competo. 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 *peth₂- / competent