*dā-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to divide."

It forms all or part of: betide; daimon; Damocles; deal (v.); deal (n.1) "part, portion;" demagogue; demiurge; democracy; demography; demon; demotic; dole; endemic; epidemic; eudaemonic; geodesic; geodesy; ordeal; pandemic; pandemonium; tidal; tide (n.) "rise and fall of the sea;" tidings; tidy; time; zeitgeist.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit dati "cuts, divides;" Greek dēmos "people, land," perhaps literally "division of society," daiesthai "to divide;" Old Irish dam "troop, company;" Old English tid "point or portion of time," German Zeit "time."

mid-13c., "a happening," verbal noun from time (v.). From 1590s as "the noting or recording of time;" 1915 as "coordination of moving parts in a machinery."

early 15c., "before the present, in the past," from afore + time (n.).

"during recorded time," 1910, American English, from all + time (n.). Earlier it had been used in a sense "full-time," of employment, or in opposition to one-time (1883). Middle English had al-time (adv.) "at all times, always; all the time" (c. 1400).

"at whatever time," one-word form by 1854; two-word form is in Middle English (early 15c.; any while in the same sense is late 14c.), from any + time (n.).

also bed-time, "the usual hour of going to rest," early 13c., from bed (n.) + time (n.). Bed-time story is attested from 1867.

"in former times," c. 1300, from before + time (n.). Related: Beforetimes.

early 14c., "at an early period;" late 14c., "seasonably, before it is too late," from betime (c. 1300, from be- + time (n.)). With adverbial genitive -s.

1530s, from day + time (n.).

also down-time, 1952, "time when a machine or vehicle is out of service or otherwise unavailable;" from down (adj.) + time (n.). Of persons, "opportunity for rest and relaxation," by 1982.