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Absurd

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means wildly unreasonable or illogical

Where does the word "absurd" come from? It comes from Latin absurdus, passing through French before entering English (1550s).

absurdus→absurde→absurd

Latin · ancient

'ab-', off, plus 'surdus', deaf or muffled: a jarring sound

French · 1500s

French 'absurde' is attested in the 1500s; Latin 'absurdus' first meant 'out of tune, discordant'

English · 1550s

the 'Theatre of the Absurd' dates from the 1960s

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Absurd’s story begins in Latin: absurdus meant “out of tune.” 'ab-', off, plus 'surdus', deaf or muffled: a jarring sound. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in French as absurde. French 'absurde' is attested in the 1500s; Latin 'absurdus' first meant 'out of tune, discordant'. It reached English by 1550s as absurd. The 'Theatre of the Absurd' dates from the 1960s. Today, absurd means wildly unreasonable or illogical.