Where does “belligerent” come from?
belligerent (Dutch) comes from French belligérant, from Latin belligerans, from Latin belliger, from Latin bellum, from Latin bellus, from Latin villus, from Latin vellus, from Proto-Indo-European h₂welh₁- — to rule; strong, powerful; hair; wool.
belligerent (Dutch): belligerent, engaged in warfare; A belligerent,...
Definitions
- belligerent, engaged in warfare; A belligerent,...
Ancestry of “belligerent”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | belligérant | belligerent |
| 2 | Latin | belligerans | waging war |
| 3 | Latin | belliger | waging war; warlike, martial, valiant |
| 4 | Latin | bellum | war; nominative neuter singular of bellus;... |
| 5 | Latin | bellus | beautiful, pretty, handsome; pleasant, agreeable,... |
| 6 | Latin | villus | hair, tuft of hair, shaggy hair |
| 7 | Latin | vellus | The wool shorn from a sheep; fleece; wool; The... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂welh₁- | to rule; strong, powerful; hair; wool |