infinity (English)
Where does "infinity" come from?
The English noun 'infinity' descends from Middle English 'infinite'[1], which was borrowed from Old French 'infinité'[1]. The Old French term traces back to Latin 'īnfīnitās', meaning 'unlimitedness'[1]. This Latin construction combines the negative prefix 'in-', meaning 'not', with 'fīnis', meaning 'end', and the noun of state suffix '-tās'[1].
Open questions
- The ultimate origin of the Latin root 'fīnis' is disputed among multiple competing proposed etymologies. [3]
Full etymology tree
- infinity (English), 'endlessness, unlimitedness, absence of a beginning, end or limits to size.'
- derived infinite (Middle English)
- borrowed infinité (Old French)
- inherited infinitas (Latin), 'boundlessness, endlessness, infinity'
- prefix in- (Latin), 'un-, non-, not'
- contraction finis (Latin), 'end'
- suffix -tas (Latin), '-ty, -dom, -hood, -ness, -ship; Used to form feminine abstract nouns indicating a state of being.'
- inherited infinitas (Latin), 'boundlessness, endlessness, infinity'
- borrowed infinité (Old French)
- derived infinite (Middle English)
Ancestors
- infinitas (Latin)
Descendants and derived words
- axiom of infinity (English)
- directed infinity (English)
- infinity box (English)
- infinity-edge pool (English)
- infinityfold (English)
- infinityfold (English)
- infinity pool (English)
- infinity scarf (English)
- infinity shot (English)
- infinity sign (English)
- infinity symbol (English)
- infinity theory (English)
Sources
- infinity (English) - Wiktionary
- infinitas (Latin) - Wiktionary
- finis (Latin) - Wiktionary
- infinite (English) - Wiktionary
Updated September 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris