English word origin

Etymology of alert

From French alerte (“alert”), from the phrase à l'erte (“on the watch”), from Italian all'erta (“to the height”), from erta (“lookout, tower”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 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

An alarm. · A notification of higher importance than an advisory. · A state of readiness for potential combat. · Synonym of bell (“bell character”).

adj

Attentive; awake; on guard. · brisk; nimble; moving with celerity.

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

From French alerte (“alert”), from the phrase à l'erte (“on the watch”), from Italian all'erta (“to the height”), from erta (“lookout, tower”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Borrowed-form mentionalertefr
Derivation mentionall'ertait

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "alerte",
        "4": "",
        "5": "alert"
      },
      "expansion": "French alerte (“alert”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "it",
        "3": "all'erta",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to the height"
      },
      "expansion": "Italian all'erta (“to the height”)"
    }
  ],
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    [
      "alerte",
      "alerte#French"
    ],
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      "à l'erte#French"
    ],
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      "all'erta#Italian"
    ],
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      "erta",
      "erta#Italian"
    ]
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        "A notification of higher importance than an advisory.",
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To give warning to.

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

Formed within English by conversion, from alert (adjective). Compare French alerter.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Cognate mentionalerterfr

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "links": [
    [
      "conversion",
      "conversion#English-linguistic_process"
    ],
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    ],
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      "alerter",
      "alerter#French"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To give warning to."
      ],
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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 alert →

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-YWxlcnQ