belong etymology

Etymology:

  • Old English: belangen "to concern, belong to"
  • Proto-Germanic: *bilanganą "to belong, concern"
  • Proto-Indo-European: *(s)bhel- "to surround, encompass"

Meaning:

  • To be the property or possession of someone or something
  • To be a part of or related to something
  • To be appropriate or suitable
  • To be owed or owed to (in the sense of "belonging to someone")

Origin:

The word "belong" traces its roots back to the Proto-Indo-European language, from which it inherited a root meaning "to surround" or "to encompass." This root is believed to have originated from a Proto-Indo-European word meaning "boundary" or "frontier."

Over time, the meaning of "belong" evolved from the physical sense of being within a boundary to the more abstract sense of being part of a collection or group. The word eventually came to encompass its current meanings of ownership, relation, and suitability.

The Old English word "belangen" was formed from the Proto-Germanic word *bilanganą, which in turn derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *(s)bhel-. This Old English word was then borrowed into Middle English and eventually Modern English, where it has retained its original meaning.

belong relate terms

  • long

    Etymology The word long comes from the Proto Indo European root leng meaning to stre

  • belongings

    Etymology Old English belġan to swell Proto Germanic bulgijaną to swell bul

  • belong

    Etymology Old English belangen to concern belong to Proto Germanic bilanganą to

  • pertain

    Etymology Latin pertinēre to belong to to have a relation to to concern Proto In

  • appurtenance

    Etymology Derived from the Latin word appertus meaning open or accessible Mea

  • append

    Etymology App Latin to toward near Pendere Latin to hang fasten Meaning T

  • exile

    Etymology Latin exsilium exile banishment Proto Indo European eks s il out

  • caries

    Etymology Latin caries Proto Indo European kreus meaning to gnaw or to rot

  • behold

    Etymology Origin Old English behaldan from Proto Germanic bihanthaldiz derived fr

  • appertain

    Etymology Latin appertenere meaning to belong to Ad to pertinere to rela

  • appeal

    Etymology The word appeal comes from the Latin word appellare which means to call