English

scientific

Scientific comes from Middle French scientifique, from Medieval Latin scientificus ‘pertaining to science’.

Medieval Latinc. 600–1500scientificus¹‘pertaining to science’
Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600scientifique¹
Englishearliest quotation 1920scientific¹

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

¹ Wiktionary, English scientific
Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds: “There is also in these matters of Science (though…”.

Lineage

Medieval Latinc. 600–1500scientificus1Wiktionary, English scientific‘pertaining to science’
Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600scientifique1Wiktionary, English scientific
Englishearliest quotation 1920scientific1Wiktionary, English scientific. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds: “There is also in these matters of Science (though…”

Word family

English words that share an ancestor with scientific, grouped by the ancestor they share, most familiar first.

through Proto-Indo-European *skey- ‘to split, to dissect’

ship ← chip ← sċip ← *skip ← *skipą
equipment ← équipement ← équiper ← esquiper ← esquiper
shift ← schiften ← sċiftan ← *skiftijan ← *skiftijaną
shed ← scheden ← scēadan ← *skaiþan ← *skaiþaną
skip ← skipper ← schip ← scip ← *skipą
kyle ← caol ← cáel ← coíl ← *koilos
ski ← skíð ← *skīdą
shin ← schyne ← scinu ← *skinu ← *skinō
conscience ← conscientia ← cōnsciēns
squire ← esquire ← escuier ← scūtārius ← scūtum
sheath ← sheth ← sċēaþ ← *skaiþiju ← *skaiþiz
skeet ← skeið ← *skaiþiz ← *skaiþaną ← *skóyt-e-ti

86 more relatives in the full family tree

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Today it means

adj Related or connected to science

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “scientific”. 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 / Medieval Latin scientificus / scientific