*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of cure

From Middle English cure, borrowed from Old French cure (“care, cure, healing, cure of souls”), from Latin cura (“care, medical attendance, cure”). Displaced native Old English hǣlu, but this survived as heal.

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A method, device or medication that restores good health. · An act of healing or state of being healed; restoration to health after a disease, or to soundness after injury. · A solution to a problem. · A process of preservation, as by smoking.

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

From Middle English cure, borrowed from Old French cure (“care, cure, healing, cure of souls”), from Latin cura (“care, medical attendance, cure”). Displaced native Old English hǣlu, but this survived as heal.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Root classification mention*kʷeys-ine-pro
  • Inherited-form mentioncureenm
  • Derivation mentioncurefro · care, cure, healing, cure of souls
  • Derivation mentioncurala

This page abbreviates 6 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "3": "*kʷeys-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "cure"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English cure"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "cure",
        "t": "care, cure, healing, cure of souls"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French cure (“care, cure, healing, cure of souls”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "cura",
        "4": "",
        "5": "care, medical attendance, cure"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin cura (“care, medical attendance, cure”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "noncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "hǣlu"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English hǣlu"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "cure",
      "cure#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "cure",
      "cure#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "cura",
      "cura#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "hǣlu",
      "hælu#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "heal",
      "heal#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A method, device or medication that restores good health.",
        "An act of healing or state of being healed; restoration to health after a disease, or to soundness after injury.",
        "A solution to a problem.",
        "A process of preservation, as by smoking."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To restore to health. · To bring (a disease or its bad effects) to an end. · To cause to be rid of (a defect). · To prepare or alter, especially by chemical or physical processing for keeping or use.

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

From Middle English curen, from Old French curer, from Latin cūrāre. Partially displaced Old English ġehǣlan, whence Modern English heal.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentioncurenenm
  • Derivation mentioncurerfro
  • Derivation mentioncurola

This page abbreviates 6 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      },
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    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "curer"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French curer"
    },
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      "args": {
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        "2": "la",
        "3": "curo",
        "4": "cūrāre"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin cūrāre"
    },
    {
      "name": "noncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "ġehǣlan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ġehǣlan"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "curen#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "curer",
      "curer#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "cūrāre",
      "curo#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "ġehǣlan",
      "gehælan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "heal",
      "heal#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To restore to health.",
        "To bring (a disease or its bad effects) to an end.",
        "To cause to be rid of (a defect).",
        "To prepare or alter, especially by chemical or physical processing for keeping or use."
      ],
      "tags": [
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

An eccentric person.

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

From curiosity.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    [
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  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An eccentric person."
      ],
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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 cure →

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-Y3VyZQ