Etymology and origin of the Latin word unifico
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Forms
ūnificō (present infinitive ūnificāre); first conjugation, transitive[1]
Etymology
It is formed from Latin ūni- + faciō, from the combining forms of ūnus (“one”) and faciō (“to make”).[2]
Earliest recorded meaning
It is a Late Latin word:[2] Paulinus of Nola (c. 353–431 AD) uses it in one of his letters, in the sense “to make one”.[1][3]
Semantic evolution
It remained a word of Ecclesiastical Latin, meaning “to unite, to unify”.[4] English unify comes from it, either through Old French unifier or directly.[2]
Timeline
- c. 353–431 AD – Paulinus of Nola uses it in a letter.[1][3]
- c. 1500 – English unify is recorded, from Old French unifier or directly from this word.[2]
Meanings
Verb
Related words
References
- ^ a b c d Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
- ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
- ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
Borrowed into
- English unify
Descendants
- English unification
Cite this entry
“Unifico.” Etymologically, 7 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/unifico. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.
Last edited on . ·