idea

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European*weyd-
2. Ancient Greekῐ̓δεῖν (ĭdeîn)
3. Ancient Greekἰδέα (idéa)
4. Latinidea
5. English todayidea

Borrowed from Latin idea (“a (Platonic) idea; archetype”), from Ancient Greek ἰδέα (idéa, “notion, pattern”), from εἴδω (eídō, “to see”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to know; see”). Cognate with French idée. Doublet of idée. Related to idol, idolum, and eidolon.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 14th c. An abstract archetype of a given thing, compared to which real-life examples are seen as imperfect approximations; pure essence, as opposed to actual examples.
• 16th–19th c. The conception of someone or something as representing a perfect example; an ideal.
• 16th–18th c. The form or shape of something; a quintessential aspect or characteristic.
• from 16th c. An image of an object that is formed in the mind or recalled by the memory.
• from 17th c. More generally, any result of mental activity; a thought, a notion; a way of thinking.
• from 17th c. A conception in the mind of something to be done; a plan for doing something, an intention.
• from 17th c. A vague or fanciful notion; a feeling or hunch; an impression.
• from 18th c. A musical theme or melodic subject.