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Today it means

recent

having happened not long ago

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Where does the word "recent" come from? It comes from Latin recens, and was adopted directly into English (1530s).

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Where does the word "recent" come from? It comes from Latin recens, and was adopted directly into English (1530s).

Recent’s story begins in Latin: recens meant “fresh, new.” Possibly related to Greek 'kainos', new. It reached English by 1530s as recent. Came into English through French 'récent'. Today, recent means having happened not long ago.

  1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient recens "fresh, new", possibly related to Greek 'kainos', new.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1530s recent "fresh", came into English through French 'récent'.

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