Etymology

argument

ar·gu·ment
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Today it means: A fact or statement used to support a proposition; a reason. Full definition →

Middle English argument ← Anglo-Norman arguement ← Latin argūmentum
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argument · noun1

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂erǵ-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂érǵus
  3. Proto-Italic*argusder.?
  4. Latinarguō
  5. Latinargūmentum
  6. Anglo-Normanarguement
  7. Middle Englishargument
  8. English todayargument

From Middle English argument, from Anglo-Norman and Old French arguement, from Latin argumentum. The English word is analysable as argue + -ment. Doublet of argumentum. Displaced native Old English racu and ġeflit.

argument · verb2

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂erǵ-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂érǵus
  3. Proto-Italic*argusder.?
  4. Latinarguō
  5. Latinargūmentum
  6. Latinargūmentor
  7. Old Frenchargumenter
  8. Middle Englishargumenten
  9. English todayargument

The obsolete senses are derived from Middle English argumenten (“to argue, discuss; to consider, reflect”), from Old French argumenter (“to argue”), from Latin argūmentārī (“to adduce arguments or proof, prove, reason; to adduce (something) as argument or proof; to conclude”), from argūmentum (“argument (for a position); evidence, proof; point, theme; thesis, topic; plot (in theatre)”) (see further at etymology 1) + -or (the first-person singular present passive indicative of -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)). The current sense is derived from the noun.

Words from the same roots

Latinargumentum all →

argumentum

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.