Etymograph

English

intelligent

Intelligent comes from Latin intelligō.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEintelligō1
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEintelligēns1
  3. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600intelligent1
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1927intelligent1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English intelligent
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1927, F. E. Penny: “Anstruther laughed good-naturedly. “[…] I shall take out half…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEintelligōWiktionary, English intelligent
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEintelligēnsWiktionary, English intelligent
  3. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600intelligentWiktionary, English intelligent
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1927intelligentWiktionary, English intelligent. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1927, F. E. Penny: “Anstruther laughed good-naturedly. “[…] I shall take out half…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂leg- ‘to care for’

leech, analgesic, analgesia, 11 more

through Proto-Italic *legō

election, collection, lesson, select, collective, legion, elite, elect, eligible, collector, coil, intellectual, elegant, negligible, negligence, cull, negligent, legation, diligent, ineligibility, 23 more

Another origin of intelligent

  1. Russianmodernинтеллиге́нтintelligént‘intellectual’
  2. Englishtodayintelligent

Today it means

adj Of high or especially quick cognitive capacity, bright.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “intelligent”. 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 / Latin intelligō / intelligent

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