Etymograph

English

synchronize

Synchronize comes from Ancient Greek συγχρονίζω ‘take the same time’, and perhaps goes back to Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰer- ‘to seize, enclose’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰer-1‘to seize, enclose’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰr-ono-1uncertain
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχρόνος2khrónos‘time’
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσῠ́γχρονος2sŭ́nkhronos
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσυγχρονίζω2sunkhronízō‘take the same time’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1839synchronize2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek χρόνος
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English synchronize
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1839, Thomas De Quincey: “The path of this great empire, through its arch…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵʰer-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek χρόνος‘to seize, enclose’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰr-ono-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek χρόνοςuncertain
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEχρόνοςWiktionary, English synchronizekhrónos‘time’
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσῠ́γχρονοςWiktionary, English synchronizesŭ́nkhronos
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσυγχρονίζωWiktionary, English synchronizesunkhronízō‘take the same time’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1839synchronizeWiktionary, English synchronize. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1839, Thomas De Quincey: “The path of this great empire, through its arch…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰer- ‘to seize, enclose’

girl, card, chart, rocket, cartoon, chorus, cartel, cartridge, carte, carton, cartography, urchin, germanium, cartouche, 33 more

through Proto-Indo-European *gʰr-ono-

chronicle, 6 more

through Ancient Greek χρόνος ‘time’

chronic, crony, cron, 9 more

Today it means

verb To occur at the same time or with coordinated timing.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “synchronize”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Ancient Greek χρόνος. 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 *ǵʰer- / synchronize

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