amen

Where does the word "amen" come from? It comes from Hebrew amen, passing through Greek and Latin before entering English (medieval).

Amen’s story begins in Hebrew: amen meant “so be it, truly.” Meaning "so be it" or "truly". By ancient, the word had taken hold in Greek as amen. The Septuagint translators kept the Hebrew word untranslated. From there it passed into Latin as amen by ancient. Carried unchanged through Christian liturgy. It reached English by medieval as amen. Used at the end of prayers in the Old English church, then as a general word of assent. Today, amen means a word said at the end of a prayer, meaning "so be it" or expressing agreement.

1. Stage 1 · Hebrew · ancient amen "so be it, truly", meaning "so be it" or "truly".
2. Stage 2 · Greek · ancient amen "so be it", the Septuagint translators kept the Hebrew word untranslated.
3. Stage 3 · Latin · ancient amen "so be it", carried unchanged through Christian liturgy.
4. Stage 4 · English · medieval amen "an expression of agreement, especially after a prayer", used at the end of prayers in the Old English church, then as a general word of assent.