treat etymology

Etymology

The word "treat" comes from the Middle English word "treten," meaning to "handle," "behave toward," or "act upon." This word, in turn, is derived from the Old English word "tredan," which means "to tread" or "to step."

Meaning

In modern English, "treat" has several meanings:

• A special favor, gift, or indulgence given to someone.
• A pleasant or enjoyable experience.
• Medical attention or therapy designed to cure or alleviate an illness or condition.
• A negotiation or agreement between parties.

Origin

The origin of the word "treat" can be traced back to the Proto-Germanic language, the common ancestor of the Germanic languages spoken in Europe. In Proto-Germanic, the word "tredan" meant "to step" or "to tread." This word is related to other Germanic words such as the Dutch "treden" and the German "treten," which also mean "to tread" or "to step."

Over time, the meaning of "tredan" in English shifted from "to tread" to "to handle" or "to behave toward." This shift in meaning is thought to have occurred because people began to associate the act of treading or stepping on something with the act of treating or handling it.

By the Middle English period, "treten" had come to mean "to behave toward" or "to act upon," and it was from this meaning that the modern word "treat" developed.

treat relate terms

• tract

  Etymology The word tract comes from the Latin tractus meaning a drawn line a stre

• drag

  Etymology The word drag originates from the Middle English term dragen which means

• entreat

  Etymology Middle English entreter from Old French entreter entraiter from Medieval

• treat

  Etymology The word treat comes from the Middle English word treten meaning to handl

• process

  Etymology The word process comes from the Latin word processus meaning advancement

• regale

  Etymology The word regale comes from the Latin word regalis which means royal or

• cover

  Etymology Origin of the Word Middle English coveren cover from the Old French covr

• neglect

  Etymology Late Latin neglectus meaning not gathered not selected Latin neclegere

• mock

  Etymology The word mock originates from the Middle English term mokken which means

• therapeutic

  Etymology The term therapeutic is derived from the Greek word therapeuein which mea

• slight

  Etymology The word slight comes from the Old English word sliht which means simple

• savory

  Etymology Old French savoreus Latin sapor taste Meaning and Origin The word

• sweet

  Etymology The word sweet comes from the Old English word swēte which itself evolve

• address

  Etymology The word address derives from the Old French word adrecier which in turn