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Where does the word "permit" come from? It comes from Latin permittere, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).
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Where does the word "permit" come from? It comes from Latin permittere, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).
Permit’s story begins in Latin: permittere meant “to send through, to allow.” To send through, to allow, from per- (through) and mittere (to send). It reached English by 1400s as permit. Settled as the English word for allowing something to happen. Today, permit means to allow something to happen, or an official document granting permission.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient permittere "to send through, to allow", to send through, to allow, from per- (through) and mittere (to send).
- Stage 2 · English · 1400s permit "to allow something to happen", settled as the English word for allowing something to happen.