English
infinitude
Infinitude comes from Latin infinitas ‘unlimitedness’, from finis ‘end’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeygʷ- ‘to stick, set up’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeygʷ-1‘to stick, set up’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*fignis1uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfinis2‘end’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinfinitas2‘unlimitedness’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400infinité2
- Englishtodayinfinitude2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin finis
- 2 Wiktionary, English infinitude
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeygʷ-Wiktionary, Latin finis‘to stick, set up’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*fignisWiktionary, Latin finisuncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfinisWiktionary, English infinitude‘end’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinfinitasWiktionary, English infinitude‘unlimitedness’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400infinitéWiktionary, English infinitude
- EnglishtodayinfinitudeWiktionary, English infinitude
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰeygʷ- ‘to stick, set up’
fix, dig, ditch, dyke, dike, crucify, 22 more
through Latin *fignis
finale, finesse, confine, 13 more
through Latin finis ‘end’
final, fine, finish, definition, fin, finite, financier, fino, finis, finial, 18 more
Today it means
noun The state or quality of being infinite or having no limit.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “infinitude”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin finis. 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 *dʰeygʷ- / infinitude