historyhistory

History comes from Middle English historie, from Old French estoire ‘chronicle, history’, from Latin historia, from Ancient Greek ἱστορία ‘inquiry, learning through research’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- ‘to see’.

1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-¹‘to see’reconstructed
2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wéydtōr¹‘one who has seen’reconstructed
3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*wístōr¹reconstructed
4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEῐ̔́στωρ¹hĭ́stōr‘judge’
5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEῐ̔στορέω¹hĭstoréō‘to inquire’
6. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEῐ̔στορῐ́ᾱ¹hĭstorĭ́ā‘inquiry, learning through research’
7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhistoria¹
8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400estoire¹‘chronicle, history, story’
9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500historie¹‘a narrative, chronicle’
10. Englishearliest quotation c. 1596–1599history¹

1. ¹ Wiktionary, English history
2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1596–1599, William Shakespeare, The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]. Epilogue.: “And therefore will hee wipe his Tables cleane, And…”.