Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “anti-personnel” come from?

anti-personnel (English) comes from English personnel, from French personnel, from Old French personel, from Latin persōnālis, from Latin persōna, from Etruscan 𐌘𐌄𐌓𐌔𐌖, from Ancient Greek πρόσωπον, from Ancient Greek ὤψ — to see; eye.

anti-personnel (English): Referring to devices intended to harm people in...

Definitions

  1. Referring to devices intended to harm people in...

Ancestry of “anti-personnel”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpersonnelEmployees; office staff
2Frenchpersonnelpersonal; staff, members of staff, personnel
3Old Frenchpersonelpersonal
4Latinpersōnālis—
5Latinpersōna—
6Etruscan𐌘𐌄𐌓𐌔𐌖a mask; a masked individual, often performing in...
7Ancient Greekπρόσωπονface, visage, countenance; front; mask
8Ancient Greekὤψto the eye; in the face; eye
9Proto-Hellenicókʷs—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ókʷseye
11Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ekʷ-to see; eye
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ekʷ- →