Etymograph

English

esse

Esse comes from Latin esse.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEesse1
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1788esse1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English esse
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1788, Emanuel Swedenborg, The Wisdom of Angels Concerning Divine Love and Divine Wisdo: “Hence it is that the Univerſe, which was created…”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEesseWiktionary, English esse
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1788esseWiktionary, English esse. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1788, Emanuel Swedenborg, The Wisdom of Angels Concerning Divine Love and Divine Wisdo: “Hence it is that the Univerſe, which was created…”

Linked words

through Latin esse

present, ens, 3 more

Today it means

noun Essence, essential nature.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “esse”. 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 / Latin esse / esse