Ynvytacioun

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic spelling of invitation, meaning a request asking someone to come to an event or take part in something
2. Middle English form of invitation, referring to a spoken or written request that asks a person to attend a gathering
3. Old spelling of the word for a polite request, extended to someone to join an event, visit, or activity

Etymology: "Ynvytacioun" is a Middle English spelling of "invitation," recorded in the late 14th century, and it shows how English spelling was still settling when Chaucer was writing. The word comes from Old French "invitacion," which in turn came from the Latin "invitatio," a noun built on the verb "invitare," meaning to invite, to summon, or to ask someone to come. The Latin verb is thought to be related to "invitus," meaning unwilling, though the exact connection is debated among scholars and the two may simply share an older root. The spelling "y" in place of "i" is typical of Middle English scribes, who often wrote "y" at the start of words and in other positions where modern English uses "i." The "-acioun" ending preserves the Old French suffix "-acion," the same pattern that gives English words like "nation" and "relation," and the final "-e" that was once pronounced has since been lost from the spelling pattern of the modern word.