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Origin and history of remain

remain(v.)

early 15c., remainen, "be left after the removal or loss of a part, number, or quality; survive," from Anglo-French remayn-, Old French remain- (as in il remaint "it remains"), stressed stem of remanoir "to stay, dwell, remain; be left; hold out," from Latin remanere "to remain, to stay behind; be left behind; endure, abide, last" (source also of Old Spanish remaner, Italian rimanere), from re- "back" (see re-) + manere "to stay, remain" (from PIE root *men- (3) "to remain").

Also from early 15c. as "continue" in someone's charge or possession; continue in a certain place or condition." From early 15c. in mathematics. Related: Remained; remaining.

remain(n.)

late 15c., "those left over or surviving," from Old French remain, back-formation (verbal noun) from remanoir, remaindre "to stay, dwell, remain, be left," or else formed in Middle English from remain (v.).

The more usual noun in English has been remainder (n.), also see remnant, except in remains "a survival, relic, remaining part of something" (c. 1500), especially "that which remains of a human body after life is gone, corpse," which sense is attested from c. 1700. As "literary work (especially if unpublished) left by an author" from 1650s.

A native word would be leavings. Old English had yþlafe "the leavings of the waves," a kenning for "shore," daroþa lāf "leavings of spears," a kenning for "survivors" (of a battle).

also from late 15c.

Entries linking to remain

remainder(n.)

late 14c., remaindre, in law, a right of ownership designed to devolve upon a second party, from Anglo-French remeinder, Old French remaindre, noun use of infinitive, a variant of Old French remanoir "to stay, dwell, remain; be left; hold out," from Latin remanere "to remain, to stay behind; be left behind; endure, abide, last" (source also of Old Spanish remaner, Italian rimanere).

This is from re- "back" (see re-) + manere "to stay, remain" (from PIE root *men- (3) "to remain"). For noun use of infinitives in Anglo-French legalese, see waiver (n.). For the unetymological -d-, see D.

The general meaning "that which remains, anything left over after separation, removal, etc." is by 1550s. In mathematics from 1570s. Specifically in publication, "what remains of an edition the sale of which has practically ceased and is sold at a reduced price" (1757).

remnant(n.)

"remaining part or quality, that which is left or remains," late 14c., contraction of remenant, remanent, remenaunt (c. 1300) "the remainder," from Old French remanant "rest, remainder, surplus," noun use of present participle of remanoir "to remain" (see remain (v.)).

Specific sense of "end of a piece of ribbon, drapery, cloth, etc." (that which remains after the last cutting of a bolt or web) is recorded from mid-15c. As an adjective, "remaining, left," 1540s. An Old English word for "remnant" was endlaf.

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remanent
early 15c., "remaining, left over; left behind, remaining, continuing, staying," senses now obsolete, from Old French remanant, remenant, present-participle of remanoir "to stay; be left," and directly from Latin remanentem (nominative remanens), present participle of remanere "s
stay
mid-15c., steien, transitive, "detain, hold back," from Old French estai-, stem of estare "to stay or stand," from Latin stare "to stand, stand still, remain standing; be upright, be erect; stand firm, stand in battle; abide; be unmovable; be motionless; remain, tarry, linger; ta
continue
mid-14c., contynuen, "maintain, sustain, preserve;" late 14c., "go forward or onward; persevere in," from Old French continuer (13c.) and directly from Latin continuare "join together in uninterrupted succession, make or be continuous, do successively one after another," from con
belive
obsolete verb, Middle English biliven, "remain in a place; be left over," from Old English belifan "remain," intransitive...form of belæfan "cause to remain" (see beleave)....confused in early Middle English with beleave and merged into it, which gave beleave two clashing senses ("to leave," also "to remain...
abide
Middle English abiden, from Old English abidan, gebidan "remain, wait, wait for, delay, remain behind," from ge- completive...prefix (denoting onward motion; see a- (1)) + bidan "bide, remain, wait, dwell" (see bide)....To abide with "stay with (someone); live with; remain in the service of" is from c. 1300....
immanent
," 1530s, via French immanent (14c.) or directly from Late Latin immanens, present participle of immanere "to dwell in, remain...assimilated form of in- "into, in, on, upon" (from PIE root *en "in") + Latin manere "to dwell" (from PIE root *men- (3) "to remain...
acquiesce
1610s, "remain at rest" (a sense now obsolete); 1650s as "agree tacitly, concur," from French acquiescer "to yield or agree...to; be at rest," (14c.), from Latin acquiescere/adquiescere "become quiet, remain at rest, rest, repose," thus "be satisfied...
change
c. 1200, "to alter, make different, change" (transitive); early 13c. as "to substitute one for another;" mid-13c. as "to make (something) other than what it was, cause to turn or pass from one state to another;" from late 13c. as "to become different, be altered" (intransitive),
rest
[sleep, repose, slumber] Old English ræste, reste "rest; a bed or couch; intermission of labor; mental peace, state of quiet or repose," from Proto-Germanic *rasto- (source also of Old Saxon resta "resting place, burial-place," Dutch rust, Old High German rasta, German Rast "rest
stick
"piece of wood, generally rather long and slender," Middle English stikke, from Old English sticca "twig or slender branch from a tree or shrub," also "rod, peg, spoon," from Proto-Germanic *stikkon- "pierce, prick" (source also of Old Norse stik, Middle Dutch stecke, stec, Old H

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