Etymograph

English

join

Join comes from Middle English joinen ‘to join’, from Old French joindre, from Latin iungō, from PIE *yewg- ‘to join’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*yewg-1‘to join’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEiungō1‘join’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400joindre1
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500joinen1‘to join’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1528join1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English join
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1528, Anoylynge: “And they ioyne them penaunce / as they call…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*yewg-Wiktionary, English join‘to join’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEiungōWiktionary, English join‘join’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400joindreWiktionary, English join
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500joinenWiktionary, English join‘to join’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1528joinWiktionary, English join. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1528, Anoylynge: “And they ioyne them penaunce / as they call…”

Word family

English words that share an ancestor with join, grouped by the ancestor they share, most familiar first.

through Proto-Indo-European *yewg- ‘to join, unite’

  • yoga ← योग ← *yáwgas ← *yáwgas ← *yéwg-o-s
  • conjunction ← conjonction ← coniūnctiō ← coniungō ← iungō
  • injunction ← iniunccyon ← injonctïon ← iniūnctiō
  • yogi ← योगी ← योगिन् ← *yugóm
  • yoke ← iuc ← ġeoc ← *juk ← *juką
  • conjugate ← conjugat(e) ← coniugātus ← coniugō ← iugō
  • jugular ← jugulāris ← jugulum
  • conjugation ← coniugātiō ← coniugō ← iugō ← iugum
  • jodi ← जोड़ी ← 𑀚𑁄𑀟 ← 𑀚𑁄𑀟𑁂𑀇 ← 𑀚𑀼𑀢𑁆𑀢
  • subjugate ← subiugat(e) ← subiugātus
  • zygote ← ζῠγωτός ← ζυγόω ← ζῠγόν ← *dzugón
  • yojana ← योजन ← युज्

63 more relatives in the full family tree

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Today it means

verb To connect or combine into one; to put together.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “join”. 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 *yewg- / join