English
determination
Determination comes from Old French determinacion ‘outcome’, from Latin dēterminō ‘to confine’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ter- ‘tender, weak’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ter-1‘tender, weak’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*térmn̥1‘boundary, end’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*termn̥1‘boundary stone’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*term(e)nos1‘boundary stone’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEterminus1‘bound, limit’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEterminō2‘to limit’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēterminō3‘to confine’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēterminātiō4
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400determinacion4‘outcome’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500determinacion4
- Englishearliest quotation 1609determination4
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin termino
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin determino
- 3 Wiktionary, Latin determinatio
- 4 Wiktionary, English determination
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1609, William Shakespeare, Sonnet 13: “So should that beauty which you hold in lease…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ter-Wiktionary, Latin termino‘tender, weak’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*térmn̥Wiktionary, Latin termino‘boundary, end’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*termn̥Wiktionary, Latin termino‘boundary stone’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*term(e)nosWiktionary, Latin termino‘boundary stone’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEterminusWiktionary, Latin termino‘bound, limit’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEterminōWiktionary, Latin determino‘to limit’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēterminōWiktionary, Latin determinatio‘to confine’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēterminātiōWiktionary, English determination
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400determinacionWiktionary, English determination‘outcome’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500determinacionWiktionary, English determination
- Englishearliest quotation 1609determinationWiktionary, English determination. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1609, William Shakespeare, Sonnet 13: “So should that beauty which you hold in lease…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ter- ‘tender, weak’
thrill, intrigue, treachery, thro, inextricable, 28 more
through Proto-Indo-European *térmn̥ ‘boundary, end’
through Proto-Italic *term(e)nos ‘boundary stone’
through Latin terminus ‘bound, limit’
through Latin terminō ‘to limit’
Today it means
noun The act, process, or result of any accurate measurement, as of length, volume, weight, intensity, etc.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “determination”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin termino, Latin determino, Latin determinatio. 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 *ter- / determination