Etymograph

English

diligent

Diligent comes from Latin dīligēns ‘careful, attentive, diligent’, from dīligō ‘to love, esteem much’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- ‘to gather’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leǵ-1‘to gather’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*léǵeti1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*legō1reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElegō2‘to choose’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīligō2‘to love, esteem much’literally ‘to choose, select’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīligēns2‘careful, attentive, diligent’present participle of dīligō
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400diligent2
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500diligent2
  9. Englishtodaydiligent2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin lego
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English diligent

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leǵ-Wiktionary, Latin lego‘to gather’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*léǵetiWiktionary, Latin legoreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*legōWiktionary, Latin legoreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElegōWiktionary, English diligent‘to choose’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīligōWiktionary, English diligent‘to love, esteem much’literally ‘to choose, select’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīligēnsWiktionary, English diligent‘careful, attentive, diligent’present participle of dīligō
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400diligentWiktionary, English diligent
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500diligentWiktionary, English diligent
  9. EnglishtodaydiligentWiktionary, English diligent

The story

From Middle English diligent, from Old French diligent, from Latin dīligēns (‘careful, attentive, diligent’), present participle of dīligō (“to love, esteem much”, literally “to choose, select”), from dī-, dis- (‘apart’) + legō (‘to choose’); see elect and select.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- ‘to gather’

technology, collect, logic, apology, catalogue, sociology, analogy, terminology, trilogy, physiology, pathology, logos, astrology, monologue, leach, prologue, pathologist, archaeologist, logistic, lexicon, eulogy, cosmology, lexical, epilogue, etymology, epistemology, gynecologist, homologous, etiology, dialectical, dialectic, entomology, alexia, lexis, apologia, bacteriology, syllogism, bacteriologist, lignite, lignin, 149 more

through Proto-Italic *legō

selection, intellectual, intelligence, intelligent, ineligible, elector, legionella, legionnaire, legionary, 16 more

through Latin legō ‘to choose’

college, election, collection, lesson, select, legacy, collective, elite, lecture, legend, elect, colleague, eligible, delegation, collector, legion, elegant, delegate, coil, collegiate, negligible, negligence, cull, legible, legation, negligent, legate, lectern, collegium, lector, ineligibility, 24 more

through Latin dīligō ‘to love, esteem much’

predilection, 4 more

Today it means

adj Performing with industrious concentration; hard-working and focused.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “diligent”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin lego. 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 *leǵ- / diligent

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