Invite
/ɪnˈvaɪt/noun
To ask someone to come to a place or join an event.
Did you know?Invite comes from Latin *invitare*, which originally meant not just “ask,” but “urge, entice, or summon,” giving the word an older, more forceful energy than modern etiquette suggests.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wei-
“To strive after, pursue, or desire”
Latin
Latin
invitare
“To invite, urge, entice, or summon”
Late Latin
Latin
invitare
“To request or encourage someone to come”
Old French
Old French
inviter
“To invite or call someone to a gathering”
Middle English
English
invit(e)
“To ask or summon someone to attend”
Modern English
English
invite
“To ask someone to come to a place or join an event”
Explore more surprising origins