*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of used

From Middle English used, equivalent to use + -ed.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary 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 ↗
verb

simple past and past participle of use · In used to.

adj

That is or has or have been used. · That has or have previously been owned by someone else. · In used to.

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

From Middle English used, equivalent to use + -ed.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionusedenm
  • Word-formation componentuseen
  • Word-formation component-eden
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "used"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English used"
    },
    {
      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "use",
        "3": "-ed"
      },
      "expansion": "use + -ed"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "used",
      "used#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "use",
      "use#English"
    ],
    [
      "-ed",
      "-ed#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "simple past and past participle of use",
        "In used to."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "form-of",
        "participle",
        "past"
      ],
      "recordId": "0a1eeb3177a052ce50a3b7814dfee7f5934cbcb2235d470a3e8690631ba54d69",
      "rawRecordSha256": "7d6546a3d0762d560d1c7dc39f836fc85ea6ed719aa8ea3060338ef80aa3f0f2",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 234804
    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "That is or has or have been used.",
        "That has or have previously been owned by someone else.",
        "In used to."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "f7ebfc8d44c1dae17866ae6cc6fc18b30e7e188c7c6dd79b3cc39e9657ce3559",
      "rawRecordSha256": "138049c83e4314268433600bca2ffceba15715c8b74db82cbd702c60dc29ed33",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 234805
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 used →

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-dXNlZA