notify

Where does the word "notify" come from? It comes from Latin notus, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

Notify’s story begins in Latin: notus meant “known, made known.” Known, from noscere (to know), combined with facere (to make). It reached English by 1400s as notify. Settled as the English word for formally informing someone of something. Today, notify means to formally inform someone of something.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient notus "known, made known", known, from noscere (to know), combined with facere (to make).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1400s notify "to formally inform someone of something", settled as the English word for formally informing someone of something.