diligent

The story

1. Latin · derived fromdīligēns“careful, attentive, diligent”
2. Old French · derived fromdiligent
3. Middle English · inherited fromdiligent
4. English todaydiligent

From Middle English diligent, from Old French diligent, from Latin dīligēns (“careful, attentive, diligent”), present participle of dīligō (“to love, esteem much”, literally “to choose, select”), from dī-, dis- (“apart”) + legō (“to choose”); see elect and select.