English
dilection
Dilection comes from Latin dilectio, and goes back to dīligō ‘to esteem, prize, love, have regard, to…’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīligō1‘to esteem, prize, love, have regard, to delight in (something)’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdilectio2
- Englishearliest quotation 1586dilection2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin dilectio
- 2 Wiktionary, English dilection
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1586, John Harmar: “And this was the first testimony of the infinite…”.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīligōWiktionary, Latin dilectio‘to esteem, prize, love, have regard, to delight in (something)’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdilectioWiktionary, English dilection
- Englishearliest quotation 1586dilectionWiktionary, English dilection. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1586, John Harmar: “And this was the first testimony of the infinite…”
Linked words
through Latin dīligō ‘to esteem, prize, love, have regard, to…’
Today it means
noun love; loving kindness
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “dilection”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin dilectio. 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 dīligō / dilection