Where does “allegory” come from?
Allegory comes from Middle English allegorie, from Old French allegorie, from Latin allegoria, from Ancient Greek ἀλληγορία, ultimately derived from Ancient Greek ἄλλος meaning "other" combined with Proto-Indo-European h₂el-.
allegory (English): The representation of abstract principles by...
Definitions
- The representation of abstract principles by...
Ancestry of “allegory”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | allegorie | — |
| 2 | Old French | allegorie | allegory |
| 3 | Latin | allēgoria | allegory |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ἀλληγορία | veiled language, allegory |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ἄλλος | other, another, different, else; in combination... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | κρίνω | To separate, divide, part, distinguish between... |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | kríňňō | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | krinyéti | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | krey- | to sift, separate, divide |