siege

Where does the word "siege" come from? It comes from Vulgar Latin sedere, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).

Siege’s story begins in Vulgar Latin: sedere meant “to sit.” The root of 'session', 'sediment' and 'president'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as assegier. Carried into French military vocabulary for surrounding a fortified place. It reached English by 1200s as siege. Settled as the English word for a military blockade of a fortified place. Today, siege means a military operation in which forces surround a fortified place to force its surrender.

1. Stage 1 · Vulgar Latin · medieval sedere "to sit", the root of 'session', 'sediment' and 'president'.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval assegier "to surround a fortified place", carried into French military vocabulary for surrounding a fortified place.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1200s siege "a prolonged military blockade of a fortified place", settled as the English word for a military blockade of a fortified place.