Where does “amputee” come from?
Amputee comes from French amputée, from Latin amputatus, the past participle of amputare, meaning to cut away, formed from ambi- and ambo meaning both, and puer meaning boy.
amputee (English): A person who has had one or more limbs removed
Definitions
- A person who has had one or more limbs removed
Ancestry of “amputee”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | amputée | feminine singular of the past participle of... |
| 2 | Latin | amputatus | cut off |
| 3 | Latin | amputo | I prune, cut off; I curtail, shorten |
| 4 | Latin | ambi- | around, about |
| 5 | Latin | ambō | both |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂m̥bʰi | around, on either side of, about; in exchange... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂n̥tbʰi | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |