Where does “asylum” come from?
Asylum comes from Latin asylum, from Ancient Greek ἄσυλον, derived from ἄσυλος, combining the negation prefix ἀ- with a root from Proto-Indo-European sem-.
asylum (English): A place of safety; The protection, physical and...
Definitions
- A place of safety; The protection, physical and...
Ancestry of “asylum”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | asȳlum | asylum (place of refuge), sanctuary |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | ἄσυλον | sanctuary |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ἄσυλος | safe from violence, inviolate |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ἀ- | The alpha privativum, used to make words that... |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | hə- | same; together |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sm̥- | one; with, together |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sem- | together, one |