Etymograph

English

radiodiffusion

Radiodiffusion comes from French radiodiffusion ‘broadcasting’, from Latin diffusio ‘spreading out, increase in extent or breadth’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰewd- ‘to pour’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰewd-1‘to pour’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰunédti1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*hundō1‘to pour out’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfundō1‘to pour out, shed’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiffundō2‘to decant, spread or pour out’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiffusio3as diffusiōnem‘spreading out, increase in extent or breadth’perfect passive participle of diffundō
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentdiffusion4‘broadcasting, showing’
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentradiodiffusion5‘broadcasting’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1956radiodiffusion5

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin diffundo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin diffusio
  3. 3 Wiktionary, French diffusion
  4. 4 Wiktionary, French radiodiffusion
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English radiodiffusion
  6. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1956, Dulany Terrett, The Signal Corps: The Emergency (To December 1941): “Signal Corps and Tank Corps men together devised equipment…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰewd-Wiktionary, Latin diffundo‘to pour’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰunédtiWiktionary, Latin diffundoreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*hundōWiktionary, Latin diffundo‘to pour out’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfundōWiktionary, Latin diffundo‘to pour out, shed’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiffundōWiktionary, Latin diffusio‘to decant, spread or pour out’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiffusioWiktionary, French diffusionas diffusiōnem‘spreading out, increase in extent or breadth’perfect passive participle of diffundō
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentdiffusionWiktionary, French radiodiffusion‘broadcasting, showing’
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentradiodiffusionWiktionary, English radiodiffusion‘broadcasting’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1956radiodiffusionWiktionary, English radiodiffusion. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1956, Dulany Terrett, The Signal Corps: The Emergency (To December 1941): “Signal Corps and Tank Corps men together devised equipment…”

Equivalent to radio- + diffusion

Latin radius ‘ray’

English radio-

Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰewd- ‘to pour’

…

Proto-Italic *hundō ‘to pour out’

Latin fundō ‘to pour out, shed’

Latin diffundō ‘to diffuse, scatter’

Latin diffūsiō ‘spreading out, increase in extent or breadth’

English diffusion

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰewd- ‘to pour’

yet, refuse, gut, font, fuse, effusive, 40 more

through Proto-Italic *hundō ‘to pour out’

confused, foundry, fondue, 36 more

through Latin fundō ‘to pour out, shed’

foundation, founder, fundamental, refund, confusion, funnel, confuse, infusion, infuse, confound, perfusion, profusion, effusion, 42 more

through Latin diffundō ‘to decant, spread or pour out’

diffuse, 2 more

Today it means

noun The act of broadcasting by radio; transmission.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “radiodiffusion”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin diffundo, Latin diffusio, French diffusion, French radiodiffusion. 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 *ǵʰewd- / radiodiffusion

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