Etymograph

English

venom

Venom comes from Old French venim, from Classical Latin venēnum ‘drug’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- ‘to love’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wenh₁-‘to love’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*weneznom‘lust, desire’reconstructed
  3. Classical Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvenēnum‘drug’
  4. Early Medieval Latinmodernvenīnum
  5. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*venīmenreconstructed
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400venim
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500venym‘a poison or venom, especially one from an animal’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1594venom

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wenh₁-‘to love’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*weneznom‘lust, desire’reconstructed
  3. Classical Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvenēnum‘drug’
  4. Early Medieval Latinmodernvenīnum
  5. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*venīmenreconstructed
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400venim
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500venym‘a poison or venom, especially one from an animal’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1594venom

Earliest quotation: 1594, William Shakespeare, Lucrece (First Quarto): “Why should the worm intrude the maiden bud? /…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- ‘to love’

win, won, wish, wonder, wont, wynn, wen, venerable, wean, ween, winsome, venereal, venerate, 18 more

Today it means

noun An animal toxin intended for defensive or offensive use; a biological poison delivered by bite, sting, etc., to protect an animal or to kill its prey.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- / venom

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