Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "usage" come from? It comes from Latin usus, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "usage" come from? It comes from Latin usus, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
Usage’s story begins in Latin: usus meant “use, practice.” From 'uti', to use. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as usage. The suffix -age made a noun of 'user', to use. It reached English by 1300s as usage. Linguistic 'usage' dates from the 1700s. Today, usage means the way a word or thing is used.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient usus "use, practice", from 'uti', to use.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval usage "custom, use", the suffix -age made a noun of 'user', to use.
- Stage 3 · English · 1300s usage "custom", linguistic 'usage' dates from the 1700s.