quarantine (English)
Where does "quarantine" come from?
The word "quarantine" traces its origins back to the Latin word for forty, quadrāgintā, reflecting a historical practice of isolating individuals for a 40-day period. This concept traveled through Italian as quarantina and French as quarantaine before entering English as a medical term. Over time, its usage expanded from strict health isolation to encompass political and social restrictions, a shift notably amplified by 20th-century diplomatic terminology.
Full etymology tree
- quarantine (English), 'To place into isolation to prevent the spread of any contagious disease.'
- inherited quarentine (Middle English)
- inherited quarenteine (Norman)
- inherited quarantaine (French), 'a number or group of or about forty'
- calque quarantena (Italian), 'quarantine'
- derived quaranta (Italian), 'forty'
- inherited quarranta (Late Latin)
- inherited quadrāginta (Latin), 'forty; 40'
- derived *kʷétwr̥dḱomt (Proto-Indo-European), 'forty'
- compound *kʷetwr̥- (Proto-Indo-European), 'four, fourfold'
- compound *déḱm̥ (Proto-Indo-European), 'ten'
- derived *kʷétwr̥dḱomt (Proto-Indo-European), 'forty'
- inherited quadrāginta (Latin), 'forty; 40'
- inherited quarranta (Late Latin)
- suffix -ena (Late Latin)
- derived quaranta (Italian), 'forty'
- calque quarantena (Italian), 'quarantine'
- inherited quarantaine (French), 'a number or group of or about forty'
- inherited quarenteine (Norman)
- inherited quarentine (Middle English)
Direct ancestors
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris