English
consolation
Consolation comes from Latin cōnsōlātiō, from dēpōnō ‘to lay, set, put or place aside or away’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tḱey- ‘to cultivate’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tḱey-1‘to cultivate’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tḱinéti1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sinō1‘to put in place’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pozinō1reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpōnō1‘place, put’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēpōnō2as deponent‘to lay, set, put or place aside or away’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsōlātiō2
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400consolacion2
- Englishearliest quotation 1543consolation2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin depono
- 2 Wiktionary, English consolation
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1543, Henry VIII of England, The Nynthe Article. The Holy Catholike Churche.: “Moreouer the perfit beleue of this article, worketh in…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tḱey-Wiktionary, Latin depono‘to cultivate’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tḱinétiWiktionary, Latin deponoreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sinōWiktionary, Latin depono‘to put in place’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pozinōWiktionary, Latin deponoreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpōnōWiktionary, Latin depono‘place, put’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēpōnōWiktionary, English consolationas deponent‘to lay, set, put or place aside or away’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsōlātiōWiktionary, English consolation
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400consolacionWiktionary, English consolation
- Englishearliest quotation 1543consolationWiktionary, English consolation. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1543, Henry VIII of England, The Nynthe Article. The Holy Catholike Churche.: “Moreouer the perfit beleue of this article, worketh in…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *tḱey- ‘to cultivate’
suppose, homeless, compound, impose, hamlet, bohemian, homely, hame, 48 more
through Proto-Indo-European *tḱinéti
apposite, prepositional, 37 more
through Proto-Italic *sinō ‘to put in place’
site, situation, composition, posture, positivism, supposition, situate, preposition, compostela, situs, 39 more
through Proto-Italic *pozinō
opposition, proposition, exposition, deposition, disposition, compost, imposition, suppository, impost, compositor, presupposition, 24 more
through Latin pōnō ‘place, put’
post, purpose, positive, position, opposite, opponent, propose, expose, dispose, repository, compose, proponent, exponent, posit, expound, presuppose, pone, 54 more
through Latin dēpōnō ‘to lay, set, put or place aside or away’
Today it means
noun The act or example of consoling; the condition of being consoled.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “consolation”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin depono. 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 *tḱey- / consolation