Etymograph

English

venomous

Venomous comes from Old French venimos ‘poisonous’, from venim ‘venom’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- ‘to strive, wish, love’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wenh₁-1‘to strive, wish, love’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*weneznom1‘lust, desire’reconstructed
  3. Classical Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvenēnum2‘poison, venom’
  4. Early Medieval Latinmodernvenīnum2
  5. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*venīmen2reconstructed
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400venim3‘venom’
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400venimos3‘poisonous’
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500venymous3‘Intrinsically venomous or poisonous’
  9. Englishearliest quotation c. 1515–1516venomous3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin venenum
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Old French venim
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English venomous
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1515–1516, Against Venemous Tongues Enpoysoned with Sclaunder and False: “More venemous and much more virulent / Then any…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wenh₁-Wiktionary, Latin venenum‘to strive, wish, love’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*weneznomWiktionary, Latin venenum‘lust, desire’reconstructed
  3. Classical Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvenēnumWiktionary, Old French venim‘poison, venom’
  4. Early Medieval LatinmodernvenīnumWiktionary, Old French venim
  5. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*venīmenWiktionary, Old French venimreconstructed
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400venimWiktionary, English venomous‘venom’
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400venimosWiktionary, English venomous‘poisonous’
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500venymousWiktionary, English venomous‘Intrinsically venomous or poisonous’
  9. Englishearliest quotation c. 1515–1516venomousWiktionary, English venomous. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1515–1516, Against Venemous Tongues Enpoysoned with Sclaunder and False: “More venemous and much more virulent / Then any…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- ‘to strive, wish, love’

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

Today it means

adj Of an animal (specifically a snake) or parts of its body: producing venom (“a toxin intended for defensive or offensive use”) which is usually injected into an enemy or prey by biting or stinging; hence, of a bite or sting: injecting venom.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “venomous”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin venenum, Old French venim. 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 *wenh₁- / venomous

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