English
emit
Emit comes from Latin ēmittō ‘to send forth, emit, discharge’, and perhaps goes back to Proto-Indo-European *méyth₂eti.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*méyth₂eti1uncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*meitō1‘to put forth, put out’uncertain
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEmītō1uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmittō1‘to send, dispatch, cause to go, let go, release, discharge’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEēmittō1‘to send forth, emit, discharge’
- Englishearliest quotation 1744emit1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English emit
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1744, Alexander Shiels [i.e., Alexander Shields]: “Here is a Proclamation for a Prince: that proclaims…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*méyth₂etiWiktionary, English emituncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*meitōWiktionary, English emit‘to put forth, put out’uncertain
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEmītōWiktionary, English emituncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmittōWiktionary, English emit‘to send, dispatch, cause to go, let go, release, discharge’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEēmittōWiktionary, English emit‘to send forth, emit, discharge’
- Englishearliest quotation 1744emitWiktionary, English emit. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1744, Alexander Shiels [i.e., Alexander Shields]: “Here is a Proclamation for a Prince: that proclaims…”
A compound of *mey- ‘to attach, bind, strengthen’ + *meyth₂- ‘to change’
Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘to attach, bind, strengthen’
Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘to attach, bind, strengthen’
Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂- ‘to change’
Linked words
through Old Latin mītō
permission, transmission, admission, submission, omission, remission, commissariat, 20 more
through Latin mittō ‘to send, dispatch, cause to go, let go,…’
commission, mission, committee, mess, admit, missile, commit, dismiss, premise, transmit, intermittent, commissary, permissive, commissar, omit, amit, missive, remiss, unremitting, 31 more
through Latin ēmittō ‘to send forth, emit, discharge’
Today it means
verb To send out or give off.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “emit”. 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 *méyth₂eti / emit