English
energumen
Energumen comes from Ancient Greek ἐνεργούμενος ‘contracted present mediopassive participle of…’, from ἐνεργέω ‘to influence’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *werǵ- ‘to make’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*werǵ-1‘to make’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wérǵom2‘work’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*wérgon2‘work’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἔργον3‘work’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἐνεργός4‘active, effective’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἐνεργέω5energéō‘to influence’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἐνεργούμενος5energoúmenos‘contracted present mediopassive participle of ἐνεργέω (energéō)’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEenergumenus5
- Englishtodayenergumen5
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *wérǵom
- 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ἔργον
- 3 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ἐνεργός
- 4 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ἐνεργέω
- 5 Wiktionary, English energumen
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*werǵ-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *wérǵom‘to make’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wérǵomWiktionary, Ancient Greek ἔργον‘work’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*wérgonWiktionary, Ancient Greek ἔργον‘work’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἔργονWiktionary, Ancient Greek ἐνεργός‘work’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἐνεργόςWiktionary, Ancient Greek ἐνεργέω‘active, effective’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἐνεργέωWiktionary, English energumenenergéō‘to influence’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἐνεργούμενοςWiktionary, English energumenenergoúmenos‘contracted present mediopassive participle of ἐνεργέω (energéō)’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEenergumenusWiktionary, English energumen
- EnglishtodayenergumenWiktionary, English energumen
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *werǵ- ‘to make’
working, organic, wright, organ, boulevard, orgasm, wrought, liturgy, bulwark, metallurgy, irk, wark, irksome, 21 more
through Proto-Indo-European *wérǵom ‘work’
through Ancient Greek ἔργον ‘work’
through Ancient Greek ἐνεργέω ‘to influence’
Today it means
noun A person possessed by an evil ghost, spirit, or entity.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “energumen”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *wérǵom, Ancient Greek ἔργον, Ancient Greek ἐνεργός, Ancient Greek ἐνεργέω. 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 *werǵ- / energumen