Etymograph

English

effort

Effort comes from Middle French effort ‘strength’, and goes back to Vulgar Latin *exfortiō.

  1. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*exfortiō1reconstructed
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400esforcier1‘to force’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400esfort1‘strength’deverbal of esforcier
  4. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600effort1‘strength’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1684effort1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English effort
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1684, Thomas Fuller, G. S.: “When old, he lived in London where, being High-minded…”.

Lineage

  1. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*exfortiōWiktionary, English effortreconstructed
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400esforcierWiktionary, English effort‘to force’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400esfortWiktionary, English effort‘strength’deverbal of esforcier
  4. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600effortWiktionary, English effort‘strength’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1684effortWiktionary, English effort. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1684, Thomas Fuller, G. S.: “When old, he lived in London where, being High-minded…”

A compound of ex + fortis ‘strong’

Latin ex

Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- ‘to rise, high, hill’

Proto-Italic *forktis ‘strong, powerful’

Old Latin forctis

Latin fortis ‘strong’

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Today it means

noun The work involved in performing an activity; exertion.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “effort”. 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 / Vulgar Latin *exfortiō / effort