Where does “accusation” come from?
Accusation comes from Middle English accusacion, from Old French acusacion, from Latin accusatio, derived from the verb accuso meaning to call to account, formed from the prefix ad- and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ád, related to h₂éd.
accusation (English): The act of accusing; A formal charge brought...
Definitions
- The act of accusing; A formal charge brought...
Ancestry of “accusation”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | accusacion | — |
| 2 | Old French | acusacion | accusation |
| 3 | Latin | accūsātiō | An accusation, indictment, complaint |
| 4 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 5 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 6 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 7 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 8 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 9 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 10 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 11 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |