Etymograph

English

curiosity

Curiosity comes from Latin cūriōsitās ‘curiosity, inquisitiveness’, from cūriōsus ‘Careful, diligent, thoughtful, devoted’, and ultimately from incūriōsus ‘careless, negligent’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEincūriōsus1‘careless, negligent’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcūriōsus2‘Careful, diligent, thoughtful, devoted’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcūriōsitās3as cūriōsitātem‘curiosity, inquisitiveness’
  4. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400curiouseté3
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500curiosite3
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1631curiosity3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin curiosus
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin curiositas
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English curiosity
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1631, John Smith, Advertisements: “wee built a homely thing like a barne, set…”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEincūriōsusWiktionary, Latin curiosus‘careless, negligent’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcūriōsusWiktionary, Latin curiositas‘Careful, diligent, thoughtful, devoted’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcūriōsitāsWiktionary, English curiosityas cūriōsitātem‘curiosity, inquisitiveness’
  4. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400curiousetéWiktionary, English curiosity
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500curiositeWiktionary, English curiosity
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1631curiosityWiktionary, English curiosity. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1631, John Smith, Advertisements: “wee built a homely thing like a barne, set…”

Every English word from Latin incūriōsus

Today it means

noun Inquisitiveness; the tendency to ask and learn about things by asking questions, investigating, or exploring.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “curiosity”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin curiosus, Latin curiositas. 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 incūriōsus / curiosity

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