Etymology

vim

V4I1M3

Today it means: Ready vitality and vigour. Full definition →

First used mid 19th c.Latin vim ← Proto-Indo-European *weyh₁-
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*weyh₁-“to chase, pursue”
  2. Latin · derived fromvim
  3. English todayvim

Possibly from Latin vim, accusative singular of vīs (“force, power, strength; (New Latin) energy, force”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyh₁- (“to chase, pursue”); compare English vis); but perhaps a modern expressive formation.

Words from the same roots

Proto-Indo-European*weyh₁- all →

vindicationvoivodeship

First known use, by meaning

  • from mid 19th c. Ready vitality and vigour.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.