Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “-lect” come from?

-lect (English) comes from English dialect, from Middle French dialecte, from Latin dialectos, from Ancient Greek διάλεκτος, from Ancient Greek διαλέγομαι, from Ancient Greek δῐᾰ-, from Ancient Greek διά, from Proto-Indo-European dwís — two.

-lect (English): variety

Definitions

  1. variety

Ancestry of “-lect”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdialectA variety of a language that is characteristic of...
2Middle Frenchdialectedialect
3Latindialectosa dialect; Nihilo lenior in convictores...
4Ancient Greekδιάλεκτοςdiscourse, conversation; manner of speech,...
5Ancient GreekδιαλέγομαιI converse, hold a discussion, debate, argue; I...
6Ancient Greekδῐᾰ-apart; through, across; through; in different...
7Ancient Greekδιάthroughout
8Proto-Indo-Europeandwístwice, doubly; in two
9Proto-Indo-Europeandwóh₁two

Words derived from “-lect”

  • lect
  • idiolect
  • basilectal
  • basilect
  • sociolect
  • idiolectal
  • acrolect
  • mesolect
  • mesolectal
  • acrolectal
  • lectal
  • ethnolect
  • sociolectal
  • genderlect
  • basilectalization
  • idiolectic
  • ethnolectal
  • idiolectical
  • idiolectally
  • multilectal
  • topolect
  • isolect
  • technolect
  • chronolectal
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dwóh₁ →