English
ergate
Ergate comes from Ancient Greek ἐργάτης ‘workman’, from ἔργον ‘work’, 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 BCEἐργάτης4ergátēs‘workman’root of ἔργον
- Englishearliest quotation 1910ergate4
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *wérǵom
- 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ἔργον
- 3 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ἐργάτης
- 4 Wiktionary, English ergate
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1910, William Morton Wheeler, Ants: Their Structure: “The worker (ergates) is characterized by the complete absence…”.
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 ἐργάτης‘work’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἐργάτηςWiktionary, English ergateergátēs‘workman’root of ἔργον
- Englishearliest quotation 1910ergateWiktionary, English ergate. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1910, William Morton Wheeler, Ants: Their Structure: “The worker (ergates) is characterized by the complete absence…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *werǵ- ‘to make’
working, wright, organic, boulevard, organ, wrought, orgasm, liturgy, metallurgy, bulwark, irk, irksome, wark, 20 more
through Proto-Indo-European *wérǵom ‘work’
through Ancient Greek ἔργον ‘work’
Today it means
noun A worker ant.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “ergate”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *wérǵom, Ancient Greek ἔργον, Ancient Greek ἐργάτης. 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- / ergate