English
contain
Contain comes from Old French contenir, from Latin contineō ‘to hold together’, from teneō ‘to hold’, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘to stretch’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-1‘to stretch’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tn̥eh₁yéti1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tenēō1‘to hold’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEteneō1‘to hold’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcontineō1‘to hold together, contain’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400contenir1‘to control oneself’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500conteinen1
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1590–1592contain1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English contain
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1590–1592, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew: “Fear not, my lord: we can contain ourselves.”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-Wiktionary, English contain‘to stretch’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tn̥eh₁yétiWiktionary, English containreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tenēōWiktionary, English contain‘to hold’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEteneōWiktionary, English contain‘to hold’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcontineōWiktionary, English contain‘to hold together, contain’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400contenirWiktionary, English contain‘to control oneself’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500conteinenWiktionary, English contain
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1590–1592containWiktionary, English contain. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1590–1592, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew: “Fear not, my lord: we can contain ourselves.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘to stretch, extend’
tight, tune, tone, maintenance, tender, entertainment, ton, obtain, tonic, pristine, tendon, tenacious, pertinent, tetanus, countenance, tendinitis, tantra, hypotenuse, retentive, maintainer, 64 more
through Latin teneō ‘to hold’
tennis, continue, detention, tenant, retain, retention, tenor, sustain, tenacity, rein, abstinence, tenet, sustenance, tenement, detain, abstain, retinue, tenable, pertain, abstention, abstinent, incontinent, 20 more
through Latin contineō ‘to hold, keep, connect, contain, maintain’
content, continuous, continent, continuum, incontinence, continence, 3 more
Today it means
verb To hold inside.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “contain”. 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 *ten- / contain