English
daughter
Daughter comes from Middle English doghter ‘a daughter’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *dʰugh₂tḗr.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰugh₂tḗr1reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*duhtēr1reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*dohter1reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150dohtor1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500doghter1‘a daughter’
- Englishearliest quotation 1611daughter1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English daughter
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “And ye ſhal eate the fleſh of your ſonnes,…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰugh₂tḗrWiktionary, English daughterreconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*duhtērWiktionary, English daughterreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*dohterWiktionary, English daughterreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150dohtorWiktionary, English daughter
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500doghterWiktionary, English daughter‘a daughter’
- Englishearliest quotation 1611daughterWiktionary, English daughter. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “And ye ſhal eate the fleſh of your ſonnes,…”
Word family
English words that share an ancestor with daughter, grouped by the ancestor they share, most familiar first.
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰewgʰ- ‘to produce’
12 more relatives in the full family tree
No ads, ever.
Explore everything descended from *dʰugh₂tḗr →
No ads, ever. This is how the app stays alive.
Become a founding member, $29 onceWear this word, $32Support the app
Today it means
noun One’s female offspring.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “daughter”. 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 *dʰugh₂tḗr / daughter