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Where does the word "figment" come from? It comes from Latin figmentum, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).
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Where does the word "figment" come from? It comes from Latin figmentum, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).
Figment’s story begins in Latin: figmentum meant “something formed.” From 'fingere', to shape, the root of 'fiction'. It reached English by 1400s as figment. 'figment of the imagination' dates from the 1800s. Today, figment means something that exists only in the imagination.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient figmentum "something formed", from 'fingere', to shape, the root of 'fiction'.
- Stage 2 · English · 1400s figment "invention", 'figment of the imagination' dates from the 1800s.