Etymograph

English

exhibition

Exhibition probably comes from Old French exhibicion; it is equivalent to exhibit + -ion.

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400exhibicion1uncertain
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1834exhibition1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English exhibition
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1834, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, London: Richard Bentley: “"I could not have believed," remarked Francesca, "had I…”.

Lineage

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400exhibicionWiktionary, English exhibitionuncertain
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1834exhibitionWiktionary, English exhibition. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1834, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, London: Richard Bentley: “"I could not have believed," remarked Francesca, "had I…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- ‘to grab, take’

doubt, habitat, endeavor, dubious, javelin, prohibition, gab, prohibitive, aver, 23 more

through Proto-Italic *haβēō ‘to have, hold’

habitual, inhibition, 11 more

through Latin habeō ‘have, hold’

able, due, average, ability, habit, debit, prohibit, inhibit, haver, debenture, habilitation, 23 more

Today it means

noun An instance of exhibiting, or something exhibited.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “exhibition”. 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 / Old French exhibicion / exhibition

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