English
usual
Usual comes from Old French usuel, from Latin ūsuālis ‘for use, customary’, from ūsus ‘use’, from ūtor ‘to use’, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *h₃eyt- ‘to fetch’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃eyt-1‘to take along, fetch’uncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*oitōr1reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEūtor1‘to use’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEūsus1‘use, practice’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEūsuālis1‘for use’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400usuel1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500usual1‘customary’
- Englishearliest quotation 1625usual1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English usual
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1625, Samuel Purchas, A Diſcourſe of the Kingdome of China: “And ſince this Family, called Ciu, which now holdeth…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃eyt-Wiktionary, English usual‘to take along, fetch’uncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*oitōrWiktionary, English usualreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEūtorWiktionary, English usual‘to use’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEūsusWiktionary, English usual‘use, practice’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEūsuālisWiktionary, English usual‘for use’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400usuelWiktionary, English usual
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500usualWiktionary, English usual‘customary’
- Englishearliest quotation 1625usualWiktionary, English usual. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1625, Samuel Purchas, A Diſcourſe of the Kingdome of China: “And ſince this Family, called Ciu, which now holdeth…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃eyt- ‘to take along, fetch’
utilization, usable, utilisation, 7 more
through Latin ūtī ‘to use’
through Latin ūsus ‘use, habit, custom’
Today it means
adj Most commonly occurring; typical.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “usual”. 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 *h₃eyt- / usual