Where does “attraction” come from?
Attraction comes from Middle English attraccioun, from Old French attraction, from Latin attractio, a noun formed from the Latin verb attrahere (ad- "to" plus trahere "to draw"), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰregʰ- "to draw or drag."
attraction (English): The tendency to attract; The feeling of being...
Definitions
- The tendency to attract; The feeling of being...
Ancestry of “attraction”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | attraccioun | — |
| 2 | Old French | attraction | — |
| 3 | Latin | attractio | contraction; attraction |
| 4 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 5 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 6 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 7 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 8 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 9 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 10 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 11 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |