eat

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

Eat’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: etaną meant “to eat.” Cognate with Latin 'edere', as in 'edible'. By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as etan. An animal's eating was 'fretan', to devour, which became 'fret'. It reached English by 1500s as eat. Its past tense 'ate' is still pronounced 'et' in much of Britain. Today, eat means to put food into the mouth and swallow it.

1. Stage 1 · Proto-Germanic · ancient etaną "to eat", cognate with Latin 'edere', as in 'edible'.
2. Stage 2 · Old English · 700s-1000s etan "to eat", an animal's eating was 'fretan', to devour, which became 'fret'.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1500s eat "to eat", its past tense 'ate' is still pronounced 'et' in much of Britain.