Where does “cliffhanger” come from?
cliffhanger (English) comes from English hanger, from English Hang, from English dang, from English damn, from Middle English dampnen, from Old French dampner, from Latin damnō, from Latin damnum — to share, divide.
cliffhanger (English): An ending or stopping point calculated to leave a...
Definitions
- An ending or stopping point calculated to leave a...
Ancestry of “cliffhanger”, step by step
cliffhanger traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English hanger
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hanger | One who hangs, or causes to be hanged; a hangman,... |
| 2 | English | Hang | Name and trademark of a musical instrument... |
| 3 | English | dang | Damn; A damn, a negligible quantity, minimal... |
| 4 | English | damn | To condemn to hell; To condemn; to declare... |
| 5 | Middle English | dampnen | to damn |
| 6 | Old French | dampner | to damn |
| 7 | Latin | damnō | to discredit, find fault, disapprove, reject |
| 8 | Latin | damnum | damage or injury; loss; a fine |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | dapnom | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dh₂pnóm | expense, investment |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | deh₂p- | to sacrifice; to lose |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | deh₂- | to share, divide |