diet

Where does the word "diet" come from? It comes from Greek diaita, passing through Latin before entering English (1200s).

Diet’s story begins in Greek: diaita meant “way of living.” A whole way of life, including exercise, sleep and food, as prescribed by Hippocratic doctors. By ancient, the word had taken hold in Latin as diaeta. A prescribed regimen of health. It reached English by 1200s as diet. Narrowed to food; 'going on a diet' to lose weight dates from the 1600s. Today, diet means the kinds of food a person eats; a restricted eating plan.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient diaita "way of living", a whole way of life, including exercise, sleep and food, as prescribed by Hippocratic doctors.
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient diaeta "regimen", a prescribed regimen of health.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1200s diet "food eaten; eating plan", narrowed to food; 'going on a diet' to lose weight dates from the 1600s.