Etymograph

English

maximum

Maximum comes, via French maximum, from Latin maximum, neuter of maximus ‘greatest’, from Proto-Italic *magisVmos.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*méǵh₂s1‘great’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*magisVmos1reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmaximus1‘greatest’
  4. Frenchc. 1600–presentmaximum1
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1806maximum1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English maximum
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1806, P. Colquhoun: “This is the fundamental principle of good legislation. It…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*méǵh₂sWiktionary, English maximum‘great’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*magisVmosWiktionary, English maximumreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmaximusWiktionary, English maximum‘greatest’
  4. Frenchc. 1600–presentmaximumWiktionary, English maximum
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1806maximumWiktionary, English maximum. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1806, P. Colquhoun: “This is the fundamental principle of good legislation. It…”

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Today it means

noun The highest limit.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “maximum”. 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 *méǵh₂s / maximum