Where does “confinement” come from?
Confinement comes from French confinement, composed of French confin- plus the suffix French -ment, which derives from Middle French -ment, Old French -ment, and Latin -mentum, ultimately from Latin mens meaning mind, rooted in Proto-Indo-European méntis and men-.
confinement (English): The act of confining or the state of being...
Definitions
- The act of confining or the state of being...
Ancestry of “confinement”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | confinement | confinement; act of quarantining, of putting into... |
| 2 | French | -ment | Attaches to an adjective in the feminine singular to form the corresponding adverb |
| 3 | Middle French | -ment | Used to form adverbs, most of the time equivalent... |
| 4 | Old French | -ment | Used to form adverbs, most of the time equivalent... |
| 5 | Latin | -mentum | instrument, medium, or result of; e.g.... |
| 6 | Latin | -menta | nominative plural of -mentum; accusative plural... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -mn̥ | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs |