Where does “ailment” come from?
Ailment derives from Middle English ailment, from Old French -ment, from Latin -mentum (a suffix forming nouns denoting action or result), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots related to thinking and agency.
ailment (English): Something which ails one; a disease; sickness
Definitions
- Something which ails one; a disease; sickness
Ancestry of “ailment”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | -ment | Used to form nouns from verbs, the nouns having... |
| 2 | Middle English | -ment | Forms nouns denoting a result or action from... |
| 3 | Old French | -ment | Used to form adverbs, most of the time equivalent... |
| 4 | Latin | -mentum | instrument, medium, or result of; e.g.... |
| 5 | Latin | -menta | nominative plural of -mentum; accusative plural... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -mn̥ | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs |