victory
/ˈvɪktəri/
noun
Origin
Latin
victoria — conquest, victory
Overview
Meaning Now
- an act of defeating an enemy or opponent in a battle, game, or other competition
- success in overcoming a problem or difficulty
Language path
Latin → Anglo-Norman → Middle English → English
Earliest form
victorie
Earliest period
late 14th century
Journey
The word stems from the Latin concept of 'victoria', closely associated with the Roman goddess Victoria, who was the personification of victory. It entered English after the Norman Conquest, reflecting the influx of Latinate vocabulary into the English language via French.
Evolution
- Latin
vincere
“to conquer”
the base verb from which the noun is derived
- Latin
victoria
“victory”
- Anglo-Norman
victorie
“victory”
- Middle English
victorie
“victory”
- Modern English
victory
“victory”
Connections
Word parts
vict-
root
conquer
-ory
suffix
forming nouns of result or state
Related across languages
French
victoire
victory
Spanish
victoria
victory
Italian
vittoria
victory
Explore next
Related to victory
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.