EtymologyMap
Back to all words

Trace the journey of words

Today it means

avid

having a keen interest

Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate

Where does the word "avid" come from? It comes from Latin avidus, and was adopted directly into English (1760s).

Read the full story

Where does the word "avid" come from? It comes from Latin avidus, and was adopted directly into English (1760s).

Avid’s story begins in Latin: avidus meant “eager, greedy.” From 'avere', to long for. It reached English by 1760s as avid. 'avid reader' dates from the 1900s. Today, avid means having a keen interest.

  1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient avidus "eager, greedy", from 'avere', to long for.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1760s avid "greedy", 'avid reader' dates from the 1900s.

Browse by origin