Where does “ablative” come from?
Ablative comes from Middle English ablative, from Old French ablatif, from Latin ablativus, formed from the prefix ab- meaning "away" and the suffix -ivus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰer-.
ablative (English): Applied to one of the cases of the noun in some...
Definitions
- Applied to one of the cases of the noun in some...
Ancestry of “ablative”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | ablative | — |
| 2 | Old French | ablatif | the ablative case |
| 3 | Latin | ablātīvus | ablative case |
| 4 | Latin | ablātus | taken away, carried off, stolen, withdrawn, removed; having been taken away, having been carried off, having been stolen, having been withdrawn, having been removed |
| 5 | Latin | auferō | to take away, take off, bear away, bear off, carry off, remove, withdraw |
| 6 | Latin | ferō | to bear; to carry |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | ferō | carry, bear |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰéreti | to be carrying |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰēr- | shiny, light brown |