Etymology
1. c.1175, "sufferings of Christ on the Cross," from O.Fr.
passion, from L.L.
passionem (nom.
passio) "suffering, enduring," from stem of L.
pati "to suffer, endure," from PIE base
*pei- "to hurt" (cf. O.E.
feond "enemy, devil"). Sense extended to sufferings of martyrs, and suffering generally, by 1225; meaning "strong emotion, desire" is attested from c.1374, from L.L. use of
passio to render Gk.
pathos. Replaced O.E.
þolung (used in glosses to render L.
passio), lit. "suffering," from
þolian (v.) "to endure." Sense of "sexual love" first attested 1588; that of "strong liking, enthusiasm, predilection" is from 1638. The
passion-flower so called from 1633.
"The name passionflower -- flos passionis -- arose from the supposed resemblance of the corona to the crown of thorns, and of the other parts of the flower to the nails, or wounds, while the five sepals and five petals were taken to symbolize the ten apostles -- Peter ... and Judas ... being left out of the reckoning." ["Encyclopedia Brittanica," 1885]
2. Etymology tree
3. Proto-Indo-European *peh₁-
4. Proto-Indo-European *-tós
5. Proto-Indo-European *ph₁tós
6. Proto-Italic *patosder.?
7. Proto-Indo-European *pet-der.?
8. Latin patior
9. Proto-Indo-European *-tis
10. Proto-Indo-European *-Hō
11. Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō
12. Proto-Italic *-tiō
13. Latin -tiō
14. Latin passiōbor.
15. Old English passion
16. ▲
17. Latin passiōbor.
18. Old French passionbor.
19. Middle English passioun
20. English passion
21. From Middle English passioun, passion, from Old French passion (and in part from Old English passion), from Latin passio (“suffering”), noun of action from perfect passive participle passus (“suffered”), from deponent verb patior (“to suffer”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₁- (“to hurt”), see also Old English fēond (“devil, enemy”), Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐌰𐌽 (faian, “to blame”). See: Latin '
passio'.