English
description
Description comes from Old French description, from Latin dēscrīptiō, from dēscrībō ‘to describe’, from dē- + scrībō ‘to write’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kréybʰeti1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*skreiβō1‘to carve’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEscrībō1‘write’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēscrībō2‘to describe’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēscrīptiō2noun of action of dēscrībō
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400description2
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500descripcioun2
- Englishtodaydescription2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin describo
- 2 Wiktionary, English description
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kréybʰetiWiktionary, Latin describoreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*skreiβōWiktionary, Latin describo‘to carve’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEscrībōWiktionary, Latin describo‘write’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēscrībōWiktionary, English description‘to describe’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēscrīptiōWiktionary, English descriptionnoun of action of dēscrībō
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400descriptionWiktionary, English description
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500descripciounWiktionary, English description
- EnglishtodaydescriptionWiktionary, English description
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)kréybʰeti
through Proto-Italic *skreiβō ‘to carve’
scripture, transcript, prescription, inscription, 35 more
through Latin scrībō ‘write’
through Latin dēscrībō ‘to describe’
Today it means
noun A sketch or account of anything in words; a portraiture or representation in language; an enumeration of the essential qualities of a thing or species.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “description”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin describo. 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 *(s)kréybʰeti / description