Etymology Map
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Student

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means a person studying at a school, college or university

Where does the word "student" come from? It comes from Latin studens, passing through Old French before entering English (1400s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
studens
Latin · classical
"eager, applying oneself"
'being eager', from studere; Cicero's speech Pro Archia praises literary studia that 'nourish youth and delight old age'
2
Stage 2 of 3
estudiant
Old French · 1200s
"student"
after a tavern brawl in 1229, Paris's students and masters went on a two-year strike and left the city
3
Stage 3 of 3
student
English · 1400s
"one who studies"
Middle English 'studient' was respelled after Latin studentem; Chaucer's Clerk of Oxenford is the model poor student
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Read the full story

Student’s story begins in Latin: studens meant “eager, applying oneself.” 'being eager', from studere; Cicero's speech Pro Archia praises literary studia that 'nourish youth and delight old age'. By 1200s, the word had taken hold in Old French as estudiant. After a tavern brawl in 1229, Paris's students and masters went on a two-year strike and left the city. It reached English by 1400s as student. Middle English 'studient' was respelled after Latin studentem; Chaucer's Clerk of Oxenford is the model poor student. Today, student means a person studying at a school, college or university.