English
uniform
Uniform comes from Latin uniformis ‘having only one shape or form, uniform’, and perhaps goes back to Ancient Greek μορφή.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμορφή1morphḗ‘shape, form’uncertain
- Etruscanmodern*morma2uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfōrma1
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEuniformis1‘having only one shape or form, uniform’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600uniforme1
- Englishearliest quotation 1593uniform1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English uniform
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin forma
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1593, Richard Hooker, Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity: “The only doubt is, about the manner of their…”.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμορφήWiktionary, English uniformmorphḗ‘shape, form’uncertain
- Etruscanmodern*mormaWiktionary, Latin formauncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfōrmaWiktionary, English uniform
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEuniformisWiktionary, English uniform‘having only one shape or form, uniform’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600uniformeWiktionary, English uniform
- Englishearliest quotation 1593uniformWiktionary, English uniform. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1593, Richard Hooker, Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity: “The only doubt is, about the manner of their…”
Linked words
through Ancient Greek μορφή ‘shape, form’
through Etruscan *morma
transformation, informatics, deformable, 18 more
through Latin fōrma
information, formation, reform, formula, format, formal, inform, forma, fromage, deform, 25 more
Today it means
adj Unvarying; all the same.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “uniform”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin forma. 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 / Ancient Greek μορφή / uniform