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participle

Etymology and origin of the English word participle

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /pɑːˈtɪsɪpəl/, /ˈpɑːtɪsɪpəl/ (UK); /ˈpɑɹtɪˌsɪpəl/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English participle, borrowed from Old French participle, a variant of participe,[2][3][4][5][6] and directly from Latin participium (“a sharing, partaking”),[2][3][4][6] from particeps “sharing, partaking”.[2][3][4][5] In grammar the Latin word translated Greek metokhḗ “sharer”, the participle being thought to share the nature of both verb and adjective.[4][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

In grammar, a word sharing the nature of a verb and an adjective (1388 in the OED; before 1397 in Barnhart).[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The -l- is intrusive, as in syllable;[4] Middle English also had participe.[4] In the 15th century the word was also used of anything partaking of the nature of two classes (1432–50), a sense now obsolete.[7] Participial dates from 1591.[3]

Timeline

  • 1388 – the grammatical sense.[7][3]
  • 1432–50 – something sharing two natures (obsolete).[7]
  • 1591 – participial.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. (grammar) A form of a verb that can function as an adjective, as baked in baked beans, and is used with an auxiliary to form tenses, aspects and the passive voice, as in the beans were baked.
  • participate
  • particle
  • gerund
  • syllable

Usage notes

The AHD warns against the “dangling participle”, a participle phrase not attached to the noun it should modify, as in Turning the corner, the view was different.[2] It notes that some expressions derived from participles, such as considering, concerning and judging by, are now established as prepositions and may be used freely.[2]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Participle.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/participle. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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