Etymograph

English

individuum

Individuum comes from Latin indīviduus ‘indivisible’, from dīviduus ‘divisible’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁- ‘to separate, divide’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁weydʰh₁-1‘to separate, divide’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wiðō1reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*vidō1reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīvid(ō)1
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīviduus1‘divisible’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEindīviduus2‘indivisible’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEindīviduum2noun use of neuter singular of indīviduus
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1603individuum2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin individuus
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English individuum
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1603, Michel de Montaigne, The Essayes […]: “it seemeth unlikely, that God hath framed this peece…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁weydʰh₁-Wiktionary, Latin individuus‘to separate, divide’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wiðōWiktionary, Latin individuusreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*vidōWiktionary, Latin individuusreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīvid(ō)Wiktionary, Latin individuus
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīviduusWiktionary, Latin individuus‘divisible’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEindīviduusWiktionary, English individuum‘indivisible’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEindīviduumWiktionary, English individuumnoun use of neuter singular of indīviduus
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1603individuumWiktionary, English individuum. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1603, Michel de Montaigne, The Essayes […]: “it seemeth unlikely, that God hath framed this peece…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁- ‘to separate, divide’

wood, wide, widow, fid, 11 more

through Proto-Italic *wiðō

dividend, 7 more

through Latin *vidō

device, division, divide, devise, divisible, 8 more

Today it means

noun An indivisible entity.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “individuum”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin individuus. 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 *h₁weydʰh₁- / individuum

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