Etymologically
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establish

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 01:31. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɪˈstæb.lɪʃ/, /esˈtæb.lɪʃ/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English establissen, borrowed from Old French pos=stem establiss-,[2][3][4] from Latin stabilīre (“to make stable”), from stabilis “firm, stable”.[2][3][5] The shorter form stablish is earlier.[5][6] It is related to stable.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

To fix, settle or ordain permanently: about 1374 in the OED, about 1380 in Chaucer's Boethius according to Barnhart, the late 14th century in Etymonline.[7][3][2]

Semantic evolution

To set up on a secure basis, to found a government or institution, is from about 1460.[7][5] To install someone securely in a position is from 1557.[7][5] To prove something valid is from the 18th century.[5] An established church is one sanctioned by the state.[2] Establishment is from 1481, the Establishment for the state church from 1731, and for the ruling groups of a country in the 20th century.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 1374 – to settle permanently.[7]
  • c. 1460 – to found.[7]
  • 1557 – to install.[7]
  • 18th century – to prove.[5]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To set up an organization or system; to found.
  2. To settle someone or something securely in a position.
  3. To prove that something is true.
  4. To cause something to be accepted or recognized.
  5. To make a church the official church of a country.

Word family

  • establisher
  • establishable
  • disestablish
  • establishment
  • preestablish
  • reestablish
  • established church
  • establishing shot

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d e f Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press