Etymograph

English

familiary

Familiary comes from Latin familiaris ‘of or pertaining to a household or family’, from Proto-Italic *famelos ‘servant, slave’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₁-mo-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁-mo-1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁melós1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*θamelos1reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*famelos2‘servant, slave’reconstructed
  5. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fameliā3‘of the house → household’reconstructed
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfamilia4‘household’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfamiliaris5‘of or pertaining to a household or family’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1645familiary5

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Italic *famelos
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Proto-Italic *fameliā
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Latin familia
  4. 4 Wiktionary, Latin familiaris
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English familiary
  6. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1645, John Milton: “Yet it pleas'd God to make him see all…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁-mo-Wiktionary, Proto-Italic *famelosreconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁melósWiktionary, Proto-Italic *famelosreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*θamelosWiktionary, Proto-Italic *famelosreconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*famelosWiktionary, Proto-Italic *fameliā‘servant, slave’reconstructed
  5. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fameliāWiktionary, Latin familia‘of the house → household’reconstructed
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfamiliaWiktionary, Latin familiaris‘household’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfamiliarisWiktionary, English familiary‘of or pertaining to a household or family’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1645familiaryWiktionary, English familiary. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1645, John Milton: “Yet it pleas'd God to make him see all…”

Every English word from Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₁-mo-

Today it means

adj Of or pertaining to a family or household; domestic.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “familiary”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Italic *famelos, Proto-Italic *fameliā, Latin familia, Latin familiaris. 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 *dʰh₁-mo- / familiary

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