Etymograph

English

sedulous

Sedulous comes from Latin sēdulus ‘diligent, industrious, sedulous’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *del-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*del-1next step skipped: Latin sedeō
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsēdulus1‘diligent, industrious, sedulous’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1650sedulous1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English sedulous
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1650, Thomas Browne, Of the Nearer and More Immediate Causes of Popular Errours, : “Now as there are many great wits to be…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*del-Wiktionary, English sedulousnext step skipped: Latin sedeō
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsēdulusWiktionary, English sedulous‘diligent, industrious, sedulous’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1650sedulousWiktionary, English sedulous. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1650, Thomas Browne, Of the Nearer and More Immediate Causes of Popular Errours, : “Now as there are many great wits to be…”

The story

Sēdulus is probably derived from sēdulō (‘diligently; carefully; purposely; zealously’) (possibly from sē- (prefix meaning ‘without’) + dolō (ablative singular of dolus (‘deceit, deception; evil intent, malice’), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *del- (‘to count, reckon’))) + -us (suffix forming adjectives).

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *del-

tale, toll, teal, 2 more

Today it means

adj Of a person: diligent in application or pursuit; constant and persevering in business or in endeavours to effect a goal; steadily industrious.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “sedulous”. 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 *del- / sedulous

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