Where does “bereavement” come from?
Bereavement comes from Middle English bireven, from Old French -ment, from Latin -mentum, from Latin mens meaning mind, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European méntis and men-.
bereavement (English): The state of being bereaved; deprivation;...
Definitions
- The state of being bereaved; deprivation;...
Ancestry of “bereavement”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | bereave | To deprive by or as if by violence; to rob; to... |
| 2 | Middle English | bireven | To cause someone to lose something; To kill; to... |
| 3 | Old English | berēafian | to bereave, deprive of, take away, seize, rob,... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | biraubōną | to bereave, spoil, take away |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bi- | by, at |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | bi | by, at; near, around |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂m̥bʰi | around, on either side of, about; in exchange... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂n̥tbʰi | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |