Etymology Map
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Limit

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means a point beyond which something cannot go

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

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

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.