Where does “arsonist” come from?
Arsonist derives from English arson plus the suffix -ista from Latin, ultimately from Latin ardēre meaning to burn, with roots in Proto-Indo-European -yéti.
arsonist (English): One who has committed the act of arson, or...
Definitions
- One who has committed the act of arson, or...
Ancestry of “arsonist”, step by step
arsonist traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English arson
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | arson | The crime of deliberately starting a fire with... |
| 2 | Old French | arson | burning; fire; arson; sunburn |
| 3 | Old French | ardre | alternative infinitive of ardoir |
| 4 | Latin | ārdeō | to burn |
| 5 | Latin | ardus | Alternative form of aridus |
| 6 | Latin | āridus | dry, parched, withered, arid |
| 7 | Latin | āreō | to be dry or parched |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | āzēō | I am dry |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eHseh₁(ye)- | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eHs- | to be/become dry; to burn, to glow; hearth |
via English ist
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ist | A practitioner or supporter of an ism |
| 2 | English | -ist | Added to words to form nouns denoting |
| 3 | Old French | -iste | — |
| 4 | Latin | -ista | -ist; one who practises or believes |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -ιστής | Alternative form of -τής; -ist |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -τής | Appended to verbs to form agent nouns |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | -tās | — |