Etymograph

English

predicate

Predicate comes from Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- ‘to point out, to show’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deyḱ-1‘to point out, to show’root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400predicat1
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500predicat(e)1
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1988predicate1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English predicate
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1988, Andrew Radford, Cambridge: “In the light of this observation, consider Number Agreement…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deyḱ-Wiktionary, English predicate‘to point out, to show’root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400predicatWiktionary, English predicate
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500predicat(e)Wiktionary, English predicate
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1988predicateWiktionary, English predicate. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1988, Andrew Radford, Cambridge: “In the light of this observation, consider Number Agreement…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- ‘to point out, to show’

index, teach, toe, token, dictionary, digit, indicate, indication, indicator, addict, contradictory, contradiction, dictator, ditto, contradict, indicative, dictate, syndicate, ditty, diction, dictum, tache, interdict, syndicalism, dict, indicia, 34 more

Another origin of predicate

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂yew-‘straight, upright, right’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂yéwosuncertain
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*jowos‘court of law’uncertain
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEiūs‘law, right’uncertain
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEiūdex‘judge’uncertain
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEiūdicō‘to judge’uncertain
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdicō‘dedicate, assign to’
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraedicō‘to publish, declare, proclaim’
  9. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraedicātus‘proclaimed, having been proclaimed, declared publicly, having been declared publicly’perfect passive participle of praedicō
  10. Englishtodaypredicate

Today it means

noun The part of the sentence (or clause) which states a property that a subject has or is characterized by.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “predicate”. 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 *deyḱ- / predicate

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