*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Emacs

Etymology tree Medieval Latin ēditorder. English editor English macros blend English Emacs Blend of editor + macros.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
name

A particular visual or WYSIWYG text editor (first written by Richard Stallman in 1975 but since reimplemented by others in several distinct versions), distinguished by its use of control characters as editing commands, by its lack of distinct "insert" and "edit" modes, and by its featurefulness and extensibility.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Medieval Latin ēditorder. English editor English macros blend English Emacs Blend of editor + macros.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
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    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":blend",
        "3": "editor",
        "4": "macro<alt:macros><id:computer science>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nMedieval Latin ēditorder.\nEnglish editor\nEnglish macros\nblend\nEnglish Emacs\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Medieval Latin\", \"term\" : \"ēditor\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"la-med\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"editor\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }, { \"alt\" : \"macros\", \"id\" : \"computer science\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"macro\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Blend of\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"blend\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"Emacs\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"Emacs\">\nBlend of editor + macros."
    },
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      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰ\nProto-Indo-European *-s\nProto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰs\nProto-Italic *eks\nLatin ex\nLatin ex-\nProto-Indo-European *deh₃-redup.\nProto-Indo-European *-ti\nProto-Indo-European *dédeh₃ti\nProto-Italic *didō\nLatin dō\nLatin ēdō\nProto-Indo-European *-tōr\nProto-Italic *-tōr\nLatin -tor\nMedieval Latin ēditorder.\nEnglish editor\nProto-Indo-European *meh₂ḱ-\nProto-Indo-European *-rós\nProto-Indo-European *mh₂ḱrós\nProto-Hellenic *makrós\nAncient Greek μᾰκρός (măkrós)der.\nFrench macro-der.\nEnglish macro-\nProto-Indo-European *h₁én\nProto-Italic *en\nProto-Italic *en-\nLatin in-\nProto-Indo-European *ster-\nProto-Indo-European *sterh₃-\nProto-Indo-European *strew-\nProto-Indo-European *-eti\nProto-Indo-European *stréweti\nProto-Italic *strowō\nLatin struō\nLatin īnstruō\nProto-Indo-European *-tis\nProto-Indo-European *-Hō\nProto-Indo-European *-tiHō\nProto-Italic *-tiō\nLatin -tiō\nLatin īnstrūctiō\nOld French instruccion\nMiddle English instruccioun\nEnglish instruction\nEnglish macroinstructionclip.\nEnglish macros\nblend\nEnglish Emacs\nBlend of editor + macros."
    }
  ],
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    [
      "ēditor",
      "editor#Latin"
    ],
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      "editor#English"
    ],
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      "macros",
      "macro#English:_computer_science"
    ],
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      "editor",
      "editor#English"
    ],
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      "macros",
      "macro#English:_computer_science"
    ]
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  "lexical": [
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        "A particular visual or WYSIWYG text editor (first written by Richard Stallman in 1975 but since reimplemented by others in several distinct versions), distinguished by its use of control characters as editing commands, by its lack of distinct \"insert\" and \"edit\" modes, and by its featurefulness and extensibility."
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Emacs →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-RW1hY3M