admire (English)

Where does "admire" come from?

The English verb 'admire' traces back to the Latin 'admīror', which was formed by combining the prefix 'ad' with 'mīror' meaning 'to wonder at'[1][2]. The Latin base 'mīror' descends from 'mīrus', meaning 'remarkable' or 'astonishing'[3][4]. Ultimately, this root links to the Proto-Indo-European '*sméyros', derived from '*(s)mey-' which meant 'to laugh' or 'to be glad'[3][4]. The word entered English through the Middle French 'admirer' and the Middle English 'admyren'[1]. Over time, its meaning shifted from the initial sense of being amazed or surprised to signify viewing someone or something with delight, esteem, or high value[1].

Open questions

The derivation from the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European form '*sméyros' is a linguistic reconstruction rather than a directly attested historical form. [3] [4]

Full etymology tree

admire (English), 'To be amazed at; to view with surprise; to marvel at.'
- borrowed admyren (Middle English)
  - borrowed admirer (Middle French)
    - inherited admiror (Latin), 'To be surprised at; to be astonished'
      - affix ad- (Latin), 'to'
      - derived miror (Latin), 'to be astonished at, marvel at, admire, be amazed at, wonder at'
        derived mirus (Latin), 'wonderful, marvelous, amazing, surprising, miraculous'
        inherited *smeiros (Proto-Italic)
        inherited *sméyros (Proto-Indo-European)
        inherited *smey- (Proto-Indo-European)

Ancestors

*(s)mey- (Proto-Indo-European)
admiror (Latin)

Descendants and derived words

admirable (English)
admirate (English)
admiration (English)
admirative (English)
admirative (English)
admiredly (English)
admiree (English)
admirer (English)
unadmired (English)

Sources

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris