Where does “challenge” come from?
Challenge comes from Middle English chalenge, from Old French chalonge, from Latin calumnior meaning to accuse falsely, derived from Latin calumnia meaning false accusation.
challenge (English): A confrontation; a dare; A difficult task,...
Definitions
- A confrontation; a dare; A difficult task,...
Ancestry of “challenge”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | chalenge | A fraudulent legal claim, allegation or... |
| 2 | Old French | chalenge | Alternative form of chalonge |
| 3 | Latin | calumnia | A cunning device, trickery, artifice, sophistry,... |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | kalwomniā | — |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | kalwomnos | deceiving, accusing |
Words derived from “challenge”