Etymograph

English

victor

Victor comes from Anglo-Norman victor, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *weyk- ‘to sift, separate’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyk-1‘to sift, separate’root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400victor1
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500victour1
  4. Englishearliest quotation 2011victor1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English victor
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2011, Phil McNulty, Man Utd 1 - 6 Man City: “City were also the victors on that occasion 56…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyk-Wiktionary, English victor‘to sift, separate’root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400victorWiktionary, English victor
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500victourWiktionary, English victor
  4. Englishearliest quotation 2011victorWiktionary, English victor. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2011, Phil McNulty, Man Utd 1 - 6 Man City: “City were also the victors on that occasion 56…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *weyk- ‘to sift, separate’

province, weakness, witch, convince, iconic, icon, victim, wicked, wo, conviction, invincible, wight, weakly, convict, vicar, eviction, vanquish, wile, ancona, waw, evict, 33 more

Today it means

noun The winner in a fight or contest.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “victor”. 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 *weyk- / victor

Shirt and support for this word