award (English)
Where does "award" come from?
The English noun 'award' descends from the Middle English verb 'awarden'[1]. This Middle English term comes from the AngloNorman 'awarder'[1]. The AngloNorman form traces back to the Medieval Latin '*exwardare'[1]. This Medieval Latin term is a combination of the Latin 'ex', meaning 'out', and the Medieval Latin 'wardare', meaning 'to observe, regard, or guard'[1]. The Latin prefix 'ex' itself derives from the ProtoItalic '*eks' and ultimately from the ProtoIndoEuropean '*h₁eǵʰs', meaning 'out'[2].
Open questions
- The Medieval Latin form '*exwardare' is a reconstructed or unattested form inferred from its descendants. [1]
Full etymology tree
- award (English), 'A judgment, sentence, or final decision. Specifically: The decision of arbitrators in a case submitted.'
- inherited awarden (Middle English)
- borrowed awarder (Anglo-Norman)
- derived *exwardare (Medieval Latin)
- compound ex- (Latin), 'out, away'
- inherited ex (Latin), 'out of, from'
- inherited *eɣ (Proto-Italic), 'out of'
- inherited *h₁éǵʰs (Proto-Indo-European), 'out'
- inherited *eɣ (Proto-Italic), 'out of'
- inherited ex (Latin), 'out of, from'
- compound wardare (Medieval Latin)
- compound ex- (Latin), 'out, away'
- derived *exwardare (Medieval Latin)
- borrowed awarder (Anglo-Norman)
- inherited awarden (Middle English)
Ancestors
- ex (Latin)
Descendants and derived words
- Academy Award (English)
- award ceremony (English)
- award-winning (English)
- book award (English)
- Darwin Award (English)
- preaward (English)
Sources
- award (English) - Wiktionary
- ex (Latin) - Wiktionary
- h₁éǵʰs (Proto-Indo-European) - Wiktionary
- eɣ (Proto-Italic) - Wiktionary
Updated September 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris