Etymologically
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trauma

Etymology and origin of the English word trauma

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1693
Borrowed from
Ancient Greek τραῦμα
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek (τραῦμα)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈtɹɔː.mə/, /ˈtɹaʊ.mə/ (UK); /ˈtɹɔm.ə/, /ˈtɹaʊ.mə/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is medical Latin, borrowed from Ancient Greek τραῦμα (traûma, “a wound, a hurt”),[2][3][4] related to titrṓskein, to wound,[2] from PIE *trau-, an extended form of Proto-Indo-European *tere- (“to rub, turn”) (see throe).[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A physical wound: 1693.[2][5]

Semantic evolution

It first meant a condition produced by external violence, as opposed to poison or infection.[3] The psychological sense, an unpleasant experience causing abnormal stress, is from 1894, in William James,[2][3][5] and was implied earlier in traumatic (1889).[2] General and figurative use is from 1977.[5]

Timeline

  • 1693 – a physical wound.[2]
  • 1894 – a psychic wound.[2][5]
  • 1977 – general use.[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A serious injury or shock to the body.
  2. An emotional shock that causes lasting psychological damage.

Word family

  • traumatic
  • traumatically
  • traumatism
  • barotrauma
  • traumatology
  • traumatise
  • traumatize
  • throe

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Trauma.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/trauma. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·