limit

Where does the word "limit" come from? It comes from Latin limes, passing through Old French before entering English (1400s).

Limit’s story begins in Latin: limes meant “boundary, path.” A Roman boundary road; the root of 'eliminate'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as limite. A border line. It reached English by 1400s as limit. 'the sky's the limit' dates from the 1900s. Today, limit means a point beyond which something cannot go.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient limes "boundary, path", a Roman boundary road; the root of 'eliminate'.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval limite "boundary", a border line.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1400s limit "boundary", 'the sky's the limit' dates from the 1900s.