informatique (French)

Where does "informatique" come from?

The French word "informatique" is a blend of "information" and "automatique." "Information" came into French from Latin īnfōrmātiōnem, originally borrowed from Old French. "Automatique" itself is formed from "automate," which traces back to the Ancient Greek word αὐτόματον, meaning "self-moving." Together, "informatique" reflects the merging of concepts related to information and automation, perfectly capturing the essence of computer science.

Full etymology tree

• -cus (Latin), 'suffixed to nouns, forms adjectives'
  • inherited from *kos (ine-pro)

Ancestors

• information (French)
• automatique (French)

Descendants and derived words

• informatiquement (French)
• infotronique (French)
• piratage informatique (French)
• virus informatique (French)

Updated February 2026

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