Etymologically
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victor

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈvɪk.tə(ɹ)/[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English victour, borrowed from Anglo-Norman victor, victour (Old French victeur), and directly Latin victor (“a conqueror”),[2][3][4] an agent noun from vict-, the past participle stem of vincere (“to conquer, defeat”),[2][3][5] akin to Old English wīgan, to fight.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

One who overcomes an adversary in battle: before 1340 in the OED, about 1340 in Barnhart, the mid-14th century in Etymonline.[6][2][3]

Semantic evolution

One who wins any contest or struggle is from before 1400.[6][3] In Scottish schools the victor was the top pupil, the dux (1651), and a victor penny was a fee paid to the schoolmaster (1525).[6] Feminine forms include victrice (late 14th century), victoress (Spenser), victress (Shakespeare) and victrix (1650s).[3] In radio communication Victor is a code word for the letter V (1942).[5]

Timeline

  • before 1340 – a conqueror.[6]
  • before 1400 – the winner of any contest.[6]
  • 1525 – victor penny.[6]
  • 1942 – the code word for V.[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The winner of a battle, contest or struggle.

Word family

  • victress

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press