death

Where does the word "death" come from? It comes from Proto-Germanic dauþuz, passing through Old English before entering English (1500s).

Death’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: dauþuz meant “death.” Formed from the verb behind 'die' with the '-th' of 'birth' and 'growth'. By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as dēaþ. 'dead' and 'death' are from the same root; the verb 'die' itself was borrowed from Old Norse. It reached English by 1500s as death. The name 'Black Death' for the plague of 1348 was first used in English only in the 1700s. Today, death means the end of life.

1. Stage 1 · Proto-Germanic · ancient dauþuz "death", formed from the verb behind 'die' with the '-th' of 'birth' and 'growth'.
2. Stage 2 · Old English · 700s-1000s dēaþ "death", 'dead' and 'death' are from the same root; the verb 'die' itself was borrowed from Old Norse.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1500s death "death", the name 'Black Death' for the plague of 1348 was first used in English only in the 1700s.