Etymology Map
Back to all words

Diet

3 stages from Greek to English.

Today it means the kinds of food a person eats; a restricted eating plan

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

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

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.