Etymograph

English

mediocre

Mediocre comes from French médiocre ‘mediocre, middle’, from Latin ocris ‘rugged mountain’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- ‘sharp’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱ-1‘sharp’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱrós2‘sharp’uncertain
  3. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂óḱris3‘sharp edge, corner’uncertain
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*okris3‘a hilltop or similar elevated place’uncertain
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEocris4‘rugged mountain’uncertain
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmediocris5‘in a middle state”, “of middle size”, “middling”, “moderate”, “ordinary’
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600médiocre5
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentmédiocre5‘mediocre, middle’
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500medioker5
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1825mediocre5

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱrós
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₂óḱris
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Latin ocris
  4. 4 Wiktionary, Latin mediocris
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English mediocre
  6. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1825, Present State of Literature: “Of the hundreds of inferior poets, who are continually…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱ-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱrós‘sharp’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱrósWiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₂óḱris‘sharp’uncertain
  3. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂óḱrisWiktionary, Latin ocris‘sharp edge, corner’uncertain
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*okrisWiktionary, Latin ocris‘a hilltop or similar elevated place’uncertain
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEocrisWiktionary, Latin mediocris‘rugged mountain’uncertain
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmediocrisWiktionary, English mediocre‘in a middle state”, “of middle size”, “middling”, “moderate”, “ordinary’
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600médiocreWiktionary, English mediocre
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentmédiocreWiktionary, English mediocre‘mediocre, middle’
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mediokerWiktionary, English mediocre
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1825mediocreWiktionary, English mediocre. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1825, Present State of Literature: “Of the hundreds of inferior poets, who are continually…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- ‘sharp’

hear, edge, egg, acid, ear, acute, hammer, axe, acne, oxide, acetate, paragon, acacia, acupuncture, acuity, hark, acumen, acme, acyl, rosacea, roselle, 73 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱrós ‘sharp’

eager, vinegar, exacerbate, acerbic, acrimony, acrid, exacerbation, 14 more

Today it means

adj Not excellent or outstanding, usually disappointingly so.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “mediocre”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱrós, Proto-Indo-European *h₂óḱris, Latin ocris, Latin mediocris. 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 *h₂eḱ- / mediocre

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