Where does “ceasefire” come from?
Ceasefire derives from English cease and fire, with cease coming from Middle English cesen, Middle French cesser, and Latin cesso, ultimately from Latin cedo meaning to yield or go away.
ceasefire (English): Alternative spelling of cease-fire
Definitions
- Alternative spelling of cease-fire
Ancestry of “ceasefire”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | cease | To stop; To stop doing; To be wanting; to fail;... |
| 2 | Middle English | cesen | — |
| 3 | Middle French | cesser | to cease; to stop |
| 4 | Old French | cesser | to cease; to stop |
| 5 | Latin | cessō | — |
| 6 | Latin | cēdō | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | kedō | give here! |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | ke | here |
| 9 | Indo-European | *ḱe | — |