vlog (English)
Where does "vlog" come from?
The English noun 'vlog' is a blend of 'video' and 'blog'[1]. The component 'video' traces back to Latin 'videō' and the Proto-Indo-European root '*weyd-' meaning 'to know or see'[2][4]. The component 'blog' arose as a rebracketing of 'weblog'[3], which was coined in 1997 as a compound of 'Web' and 'log'[6].
Full etymology tree
- vlog (English), 'A weblog using video as its primary presentation format.'
- blend video (English), 'Television, a television show, or a movie.'
- derived video (Latin), 'to see, perceive; look (at)'
- inherited *widēō (Proto-Italic), 'to see'
- influenced by *wid-é-t (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *weyd- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to see'
- influenced by *wid-é-t (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *widēō (Proto-Italic), 'to see'
- suffix -o (English), 'A colloquializing suffix, typically appended to names, abbreviations of long words, or substantive uses of adjectives.'
- influenced by audio (English), 'Focused on audible sound, as opposed to sight.'
- derived video (Latin), 'to see, perceive; look (at)'
- blend blog (English), 'A website that allows users to reflect, share opinions, and discuss various topics in the form of an online journal, sometimes letting readers comment on their posts. Most blogs are written in a slightly informal tone (personal journals, news, businesses, etc.)'
- clipping weblog (English), 'A website in the form of an ongoing journal.'
- compound Web (English), 'The World Wide Web.'
- derived web (English), 'The silken structure which a spider builds using silk secreted from the spinnerets at the caudal tip of its abdomen; a spiderweb.'
- inherited web (Middle English), 'Woven fabric; fabric manufactured by weaving.'
- inherited webb (Old English), 'web'
- inherited *wabją (Proto-Germanic), 'something woven'
- inherited *webʰ- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to weave, braid'
- inherited *wabją (Proto-Germanic), 'something woven'
- inherited webb (Old English), 'web'
- inherited web (Middle English), 'Woven fabric; fabric manufactured by weaving.'
- derived web (English), 'The silken structure which a spider builds using silk secreted from the spinnerets at the caudal tip of its abdomen; a spiderweb.'
- compound log (English), 'The trunk of a dead tree, cleared of branches.'
- inherited logge (Middle English), 'large long stick, staff, pole, log'
- compound Web (English), 'The World Wide Web.'
- clipping weblog (English), 'A website in the form of an ongoing journal.'
- blend video (English), 'Television, a television show, or a movie.'
Ancestors
- video (English)
- blog (English)
Descendants and derived words
- vlogger (English)
- vlogging (English)
- vlogging (English)
- vlogosphere (English)
Sources
- vlog (English) - Wiktionary
- video (English) - Wiktionary
- blog (English) - Wiktionary
- video (Latin) - Wiktionary
- widēō (Proto-Italic) - Wiktionary
- weblog (English) - Wiktionary
- web (English) - Wiktionary
- log (English) - Wiktionary
Updated October 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris