systemsystem

System comes from Middle French systeme and Late Latin systēma, from Ancient Greek σύστημα ‘organized body; whole made of several parts’, from συνίστημι ‘to combine, organize’ (σύν + ἵστημι), and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- ‘to stand’.

1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*steh₂-¹‘to stand (up)’reconstructed
2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*stísteh₂ti²‘to be standing up’reconstructed
3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*hístāmi²‘to stand’reconstructed
4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἵστημ鳑to stand’
5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσυνίστημι⁴sŭnístēmĭ‘to combine, organize’
6. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσύστημα⁴sústēma‘musical scale; organized body; whole made of several parts’
7. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEsystēma⁴‘harmony; musical scale; system’
8. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600systeme⁴
9. Englishearliest quotation 1749system⁴

1. ¹ Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *stísteh₂ti
2. ² Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ἵστημι
3. ³ Wiktionary, Ancient Greek συνίστημι
4. ⁴ Wiktionary, English system
5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1749, Henry Fielding, London: A[ndrew] Millar: “But ſo Matters fell out, and ſo I muſt…”.