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Where does the word "content" come from? It comes from Latin continere, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).
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Where does the word "content" come from? It comes from Latin continere, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).
Content’s story begins in Latin: continere meant “to hold together, to contain.” To hold together, to contain, from com- (together) and tenere (to hold). It reached English by 1400s as content. Settled as the English word for what is contained, or a state of satisfaction. Today, content means the material contained within something, or a feeling of peaceful satisfaction.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient continere "to hold together, to contain", to hold together, to contain, from com- (together) and tenere (to hold).
- Stage 2 · English · 1400s content "what is held within something, or a state of satisfaction", settled as the English word for what is contained, or a state of satisfaction.