Etymograph

English

donation

Donation comes from Latin dōnātiō ‘a present’, from dōnō ‘to give’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deh₃-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deh₃-1‘to give’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*déh₃nom1‘gift’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dōnom1‘gift, present’reconstructed
  4. Archaic Latinc. 700–75 BCEdōnom1
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdōnum2‘a gift’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdōnō2‘to give’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdōnātiō2‘a present’
  8. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600donation2
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500donacion2
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1610–1611donation2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin donum
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English donation
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1610–1611, William Shakespeare, The Tempest: “And some donation freely to estate On the bless'd…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deh₃-Wiktionary, Latin donum‘to give’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*déh₃nomWiktionary, Latin donum‘gift’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dōnomWiktionary, Latin donum‘gift, present’reconstructed
  4. Archaic Latinc. 700–75 BCEdōnomWiktionary, Latin donum
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdōnumWiktionary, English donation‘a gift’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdōnōWiktionary, English donation‘to give’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdōnātiōWiktionary, English donation‘a present’
  8. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600donationWiktionary, English donation
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500donacionWiktionary, English donation
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1610–1611donationWiktionary, English donation. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1610–1611, William Shakespeare, The Tempest: “And some donation freely to estate On the bless'd…”

The story

Recorded in English since the 15th century.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *deh₃- ‘to give’

add, data, die, date, rent, addition, delicious, surrender, tradition, dose, vent, render, treason, vendor, donor, dow, rendezvous, additive, anecdote, rendition, addendum, dowry, antidote, dowager, endow, dower, dacha, dative, perdition, sconce, dati, 40 more

through Latin dōnō ‘to give’

condone, 6 more

Today it means

noun A voluntary gift or contribution for a specific cause.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “donation”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin donum. 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 *deh₃- / donation

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