Etymograph

English

context

Context comes from Latin contextus ‘a joining, connection’, from contexō ‘to weave together, connect’, from con- + texō.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcontexō1‘to weave together; to connect’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcontextus1
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1623context1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English context
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1623, Owen Feltham, Resolves: Divine: “If the Subiect bee Historie, or contexted Fable, then…”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcontexōWiktionary, English context‘to weave together; to connect’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcontextusWiktionary, English context
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1623contextWiktionary, English context. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1623, Owen Feltham, Resolves: Divine: “If the Subiect bee Historie, or contexted Fable, then…”

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Today it means

noun The surroundings, circumstances, environment, background or settings that determine, specify, or clarify the meaning of an event or other occurrence.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “context”. 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 / Latin contexō / context