dragoste (Romanian)
Where does "dragoste" come from?
The Romanian word 'dragoste' comes to us as a loanword from Old Church Slavonic, evolving from the Proto-Slavic term 'dorgostĭ'. This root combined the Slavic word for 'dear' or 'expensive' with an abstract suffix to denote the state of being cherished. Ultimately, this lineage traces back to Proto-Indo-European roots associated with holding or sustaining, reflecting an ancient understanding of love as something that is dearly held.
Full etymology tree
- dragoste (Romanian), 'love'
- borrowed драгость (dragostĭ) (Old Church Slavonic)
- inherited *dorgostь (Proto-Slavic)
- compound *dorgъ (Proto-Slavic), 'dear, expensive'
- inherited *dargás (Proto-Balto-Slavic)
- inherited *dʰer- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to support'
- inherited *dargás (Proto-Balto-Slavic)
- suffix *-ostь (Proto-Slavic), 'Used with adjectival stems to form abstract nouns; -ness'
- inherited *-astis (Proto-Balto-Slavic)
- inherited *-Hostis (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *-astis (Proto-Balto-Slavic)
- compound *dorgъ (Proto-Slavic), 'dear, expensive'
- inherited *dorgostь (Proto-Slavic)
- borrowed драгость (dragostĭ) (Old Church Slavonic)
Ancestors
- *dorgъ (Proto-Slavic)
- *-ostь (Proto-Slavic)
Descendants and derived words
- drăgăstos (Romanian)
- drăgosteală (Romanian)
- drăgosti (Romanian)
- face dragoste (Romanian)
- îndrăgosti (Romanian)
Updated May 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris