English
quaestor
Quaestor comes from Latin quaerō ‘to seek, look for’, and perhaps goes back to Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂- ‘to acquire’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷeh₂-1‘to acquire’uncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kʷaizō1uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquaerō2‘to seek, look for’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquaestor3
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500questor3
- Englishearliest quotation 1969quaestor3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin quaero, which cites LIV
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin quaestor
- 3 Wiktionary, English quaestor
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1969, Victor Ernest Watts, Anicius Manlius Severinus Boëthius (author): “Decoratus was quæstor in A.D. 508.”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷeh₂-Wiktionary, Latin quaero, which cites LIV‘to acquire’uncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kʷaizōWiktionary, Latin quaero, which cites LIVuncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquaerōWiktionary, Latin quaestor‘to seek, look for’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquaestorWiktionary, English quaestor
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500questorWiktionary, English quaestor
- Englishearliest quotation 1969quaestorWiktionary, English quaestor. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1969, Victor Ernest Watts, Anicius Manlius Severinus Boëthius (author): “Decoratus was quæstor in A.D. 508.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂- ‘to acquire’
through Proto-Italic *kʷaizō
conquest, questionnaire, 9 more
through Latin quaerō ‘to seek, look for’
acquisition, inquiry, quest, conquer, exquisite, query, enquiry, inquisition, inquire, requisite, inquisitor, 11 more
Today it means
noun An ancient Roman official responsible for public revenue and other financial affairs.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “quaestor”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin quaero, Latin quaestor. 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 *kʷeh₂- / quaestor