Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “countersue” come from?

countersue (English) comes from English Sue, from Middle English seuen, from Anglo-Norman suer, from Old French sivre, from Vulgar Latin sequere, from Latin sequor, from Proto-Italic sekʷōr, from Proto-Indo-European sékʷetor — to follow; to see; to say.

countersue (English): To sue a person or entity who is suing one

Definitions

  1. To sue a person or entity who is suing one

Ancestry of “countersue”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishSueA Mary Sue
2Middle Englishseuen—
3Anglo-Normansuernominative singular of seror; to dry
4Old Frenchsivreto follow
5Vulgar Latinsequereto follow; second-person singular future active...
6LatinsequorI follow, come or go after
7Proto-Italicsekʷōrfollow, come/go after
8Proto-Indo-Europeansékʷetorto be following
9Proto-Indo-Europeansekʷ-to follow; to see; to say
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sekʷ- →