computer (English)
Where does "computer" come from?
The word 'computer' originates from the practice of calculation, evolving from the Proto-Indo-European root *pewH- and eventually arriving in English through the combination of 'compute' and the agent suffix '-er'. While the term initially described a human who performed calculations in the early 17th century, it naturally adapted as technology advanced to identify the mechanical and digital devices we rely on today. This journey links it as a linguistic doublet to words like 'counter' and 'kontor'.
Full etymology tree
- computer (English), 'To use a computer.'
- derived compute (English), 'To reckon, calculate.'
- borrowed computer (Old French)
- inherited computo (Latin), 'to calculate, compute, reckon together'
- affix com- (Latin), 'allomorph of con-'
- inherited *kom- (Proto-Italic), 'together'
- inherited *ḱóm (Proto-Indo-European), 'beside, near, by, with'
- inherited *kom- (Proto-Italic), 'together'
- affix puto (Latin), 'to clean, cleanse'
- affix com- (Latin), 'allomorph of con-'
- inherited computo (Latin), 'to calculate, compute, reckon together'
- borrowed computer (Old French)
- suffix -er (English), 'A person or thing that does an action indicated by the root verb; used to form an agent noun.'
- inherited -ere (Middle English), 'Forms agent nouns from other nouns or verbs, especially occupational; -er'
- inherited -ere (Old English), 'masculine agent suffix, originally applied only to nouns'
- inherited *-ārī (Proto-West Germanic), '-er; creates agent nouns from other nouns, especially denoting occupations.'
- inherited *-ārijaz (Proto-Germanic), '-er. Forms agent nouns, especially denoting occupations, from other nouns.'
- borrowed -arius (Latin), 'Used to form adjectives from nouns or numerals.'
- inherited *-ārijaz (Proto-Germanic), '-er. Forms agent nouns, especially denoting occupations, from other nouns.'
- inherited *-ārī (Proto-West Germanic), '-er; creates agent nouns from other nouns, especially denoting occupations.'
- influence -ier (Old French), 'suffix used to form infinitives of first conjugation verbs'
- inherited -arius (Latin), 'Used to form adjectives from nouns or numerals.'
- inherited -ere (Old English), 'masculine agent suffix, originally applied only to nouns'
- inherited -ere (Middle English), 'Forms agent nouns from other nouns or verbs, especially occupational; -er'
- derived compute (English), 'To reckon, calculate.'
Direct ancestors
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris