Etymograph

English

confirmation

Confirmation comes from Latin cōnfirmātiō ‘confirmation, verification’, from firmō ‘to firm or strengthen’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰer- ‘to support’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰer-1‘to support’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰermos1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*θermos1reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fermos1reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfirmus1‘stable, firm’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfirmō2as firmāre‘to firm or strengthen’next step skipped: Latin cōnfirmō
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnfirmātus2‘confirmed’
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnfirmātiō2‘confirmation, verification’
  9. Old Frenchc. 842–1400confirmacion2
  10. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500confirmacioun2
  11. Englishearliest quotation 1977confirmation2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin firmo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English confirmation
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1977, Only the Good Die Young: “You got a nice white dress / and a…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰer-Wiktionary, Latin firmo‘to support’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰermosWiktionary, Latin firmoreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*θermosWiktionary, Latin firmoreconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fermosWiktionary, Latin firmoreconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfirmusWiktionary, Latin firmo‘stable, firm’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfirmōWiktionary, English confirmationas firmāre‘to firm or strengthen’next step skipped: Latin cōnfirmō
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnfirmātusWiktionary, English confirmation‘confirmed’
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnfirmātiōWiktionary, English confirmation‘confirmation, verification’
  9. Old Frenchc. 842–1400confirmacionWiktionary, English confirmation
  10. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500confirmaciounWiktionary, English confirmation
  11. Englishearliest quotation 1977confirmationWiktionary, English confirmation. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1977, Only the Good Die Young: “You got a nice white dress / and a…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *dʰer- ‘to support’

dark, drug, dry, drama, dare, drain, throne, drone, feasible, refrain, darn, formidable, drastic, dazed, dharma, dor, dern, 37 more

through Latin firmus ‘stable, firm’

affirmative, affirming, infirmary, affirmation, firmament, infirm, 6 more

through Latin firmō ‘to firm or strengthen’

firm, 6 more

Today it means

noun An official indicator that things will happen as planned.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “confirmation”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin firmo. 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 *dʰer- / confirmation

Shirt and support for this word