Where does “DEFCON” come from?
DEFCON (English) comes from English condition, from Middle English condicioun, from Old French condicion, from Latin condiciō, from Latin condīcō, from Latin cōn-, from Latin cum, from Old Latin com — to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...
DEFCON (English): activation and readiness level of the United States armed forces, as "DEFCON 4"
Definitions
- activation and readiness level of the United States armed forces, as "DEFCON 4"
Ancestry of “DEFCON”, step by step
DEFCON traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English condition
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | condition | A logical clause or phrase that a conditional... |
| 2 | Middle English | condicioun | condition |
| 3 | Old French | condicion | condition; social rank |
| 4 | Latin | condiciō | An agreement, contract, covenant, stipulation, pact, proposition |
| 5 | Latin | condīcō | to talk something over together, agree to/upon, concert, promise; fix, appoint |
| 6 | Latin | cōn- | Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing together of several objects |
| 7 | Latin | cum | with, along with; at; -fold |
| 8 | Old Latin | com | Alternative form of cum |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | kom | with, along, at |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 12 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 13 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 14 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 15 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 16 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 17 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
| 18 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |
via English defense
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | defense | The action of defending or protecting from... |
| 2 | Middle English | defens | the act of defending |
| 3 | Old French | defens | — |
| 4 | Late Latin | defensa | protection; bounded, defended; defence |
| 5 | Latin | defensus | driven away, having been driven away; defended,... |
| 6 | Latin | dēfendō | to drive away |
| 7 | Latin | fendō | to hit |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷʰen- | to strike, slay, kill |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰon- | — |