secret

Where does the word "secret" come from? It comes from Latin cernere, passing through Latin and Old French before entering English (1300s).

Secret’s story begins in Latin: cernere meant “to sift, to distinguish.” To sift, to distinguish, combined with se- (apart). Within Latin, it grew into secernere by ancient. To separate, to set apart, from se- and cernere, with irregular past participle secretus. From there it passed into Old French as secret by medieval. Carried into French for something kept hidden from others. It reached English by 1300s as secret. Settled as the English word for something kept hidden from general knowledge. Today, secret means something kept hidden or known only to a few people.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient cernere "to sift, to distinguish", to sift, to distinguish, combined with se- (apart).
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient secernere "to separate, to set apart", to separate, to set apart, from se- and cernere, with irregular past participle secretus.
3. Stage 3 · Old French · medieval secret "something kept hidden from others", carried into French for something kept hidden from others.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1300s secret "something kept hidden from general knowledge", settled as the English word for something kept hidden from general knowledge.