Etymologically
Log in

resource

Etymology and origin of the English word resource

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1611
Borrowed from
French ressource
Ultimate origin
Latin (resurgere)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /rɪˈzɔːs/, /rɪˈsɔːs/, /ˈriː.sɔːs/, US /ˈriː.sɔːrs/, /rɪˈsɔːrs/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French ressource, earlier ressourse,[2][3][4] a noun use of the feminine past participle of Old French resourdre “to rise again, recover”,[5][2][6] from Latin resurgere (“to rise again”).[5][2][3] It is related to resurgent and resurrection.[2][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A means of supplying a want, a stock that can be drawn on: 1611, in Cotgrave's Dictionary.[2][7][5]

Semantic evolution

The possibility of help, often with a negative (without resource), and an expedient or device are both from 1697 in the OED, the 1690s in Etymonline.[7][5] A means of relaxation or amusement is from 1752.[7] The plural resources, a country's wealth and means of support, is from 1779.[7][2] Skill in meeting difficulties is from 1853,[7][2] and resourceful from 1851.[2] The verb, to supply with resources, is from 1975.[2][5]

Timeline

  • 1611 – a stock or supply.[7]
  • 1697 – an expedient.[7]
  • 1779 – a country's resources.[7]
  • 1853 – skill in meeting difficulties.[7]
  • 1975 – the verb.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. (often resources) A supply of money, materials, people or other things that can be used when needed.
  2. (resources) A country's natural wealth, such as minerals or land.
  3. Something that can be used for help or support: the library is a useful resource.
  4. The ability to deal well with difficulties.

Verb

  1. To provide with the money or materials needed.

Word family

  • resourceless
  • resourcelessness
  • resourceful
  • human resources
  • natural resource
  • source
  • resurgent
  • resurrection
  • surge

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 f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Resource.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/resource. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·