Where does “asinine” come from?

Asinine comes from Latin asininus, an adjective formed with the Latin suffix -inus attached to a root ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European -iHnos and -no-.

asinine (English): Very foolish; failing to exercise intelligence or...

Definitions

  1. Very foolish; failing to exercise intelligence or...

Ancestry of “asinine”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinasininusof or pertaining to asses or donkeys; A young ass
2Latinasinusa donkey, an ass; an ass, an idiot, a dolt, a...
3Latinacinusa berry, especially the grape; the seed of a...
4Latinaciessharp edge or point; battle line; battle,...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eḱ-sharp

Words derived from “asinine”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂eḱ- →Every word from Latin acies →Every word from Latin acinus →