Where does “ameliorative” come from?
Ameliorative comes from English ameliorate combined with the Anglo-Norman suffix -if, derived from Latin -ivus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -iHwós and -wós.
ameliorative (English): Able to repair or ameliorate; That which betters...
Definitions
- Able to repair or ameliorate; That which betters...
Ancestry of “ameliorative”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ameliorate | To make better, or improve, something perceived... |
| 2 | English | meliorate | To make better; to improve; to solve a problem;... |
| 3 | Latin | melioratus | |
| 4 | Latin | meliōrō | to make better, better, improve |
| 5 | Latin | melĭor | better |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | meljōs | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mélyōs | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |