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Where does the word "science" come from? It comes from Latin scire, passing through Latin and Old French before entering English (1300s).
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Where does the word "science" come from? It comes from Latin scire, passing through Latin and Old French before entering English (1300s).
Science’s story begins in Latin: scire meant “to know.” The root of 'conscience' and 'conscious'. Within Latin, it grew into scientia by ancient. Knowledge, from scire (to know). From there it passed into Old French as science by medieval. Carried into French for organized knowledge. It reached English by 1300s as science. Settled as the English word for the systematic study of the natural world. Today, science means the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the natural and physical world.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient scire "to know", the root of 'conscience' and 'conscious'.
- Stage 2 · Latin · ancient scientia "knowledge", knowledge, from scire (to know).
- Stage 3 · Old French · medieval science "organized knowledge", carried into French for organized knowledge.
- Stage 4 · English · 1300s science "the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the natural world", settled as the English word for the systematic study of the natural world.