Etymograph

English

heresy

Heresy comes from Old French heresie, from Ancient Greek αἵρεσις ‘choice, system of principles’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ser- ‘to flow’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ser-1‘to flow’uncertain
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEαἵρεσις1haíresis‘choice, system of principles’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhaeresis1
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400heresie1
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500heresie1
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1968heresy1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English heresy
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1968, History of Western Civilization, Baldwin & Cole: “Heresy meant deliberate departure from the accepted doctrines of…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ser-Wiktionary, English heresy‘to flow’uncertain
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEαἵρεσιςWiktionary, English heresyhaíresis‘choice, system of principles’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhaeresisWiktionary, English heresy
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400heresieWiktionary, English heresy
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500heresieWiktionary, English heresy
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1968heresyWiktionary, English heresy. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1968, History of Western Civilization, Baldwin & Cole: “Heresy meant deliberate departure from the accepted doctrines of…”

The story

From Middle English heresie (Middle English her(esie) + -esy), from Old French heresie (modern hérésie), from Latin haeresis, from Ancient Greek αἵρεσις (haíresis, “choice, system of principles”), from αἱρέομαι (hairéomai, “to take for oneself, to choose”), the middle voice of αἱρέω (hairéō, “to take”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *ser-; see also Welsh herw (‘theft, raid’), Ancient Greek στερέω (steréō, “to deprive of”).

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ser- ‘to flow’

service, sort, series, serve, conservative, stream, hero, desert, insert, assertion, sermon, reservoir, conservatism, exert, assertive, concierge, sorcery, observant, servitude, sorcerer, sark, conservator, heretic, strudel, servile, serf, sere, 34 more

Today it means

noun A doctrine held by a member of a religion at variance or conflict with established religious beliefs.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “heresy”. 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 *ser- / heresy

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