Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "passion" come from? It comes from Late Latin passio, passing through Old French before entering English (1100s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "passion" come from? It comes from Late Latin passio, passing through Old French before entering English (1100s).
Passion’s story begins in Late Latin: passio meant “suffering.” From 'pati', to suffer, the root of 'patient'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as passion. The Passion of Christ. It reached English by 1100s as passion. The sense 'strong emotion' dates from the 1500s. Today, passion means strong emotion; intense enthusiasm.
- Stage 1 · Late Latin · ancient passio "suffering", from 'pati', to suffer, the root of 'patient'.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval passion "suffering of Christ", the Passion of Christ.
- Stage 3 · English · 1100s passion "suffering", the sense 'strong emotion' dates from the 1500s.