Where does “damage” come from?
Damage comes from Old French damage, derived from Vulgar Latin damnaticum, ultimately from Latin damnum meaning loss or harm, with formative elements from Proto-Indo-European deh₂- meaning to divide or separate.
damage (English): Injury or harm; the condition or measure of...
Definitions
- Injury or harm; the condition or measure of...
Ancestry of “damage”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | damage | damage, harm, injury |
| 2 | Old French | damage | damage; injury, hurt, insult |
| 3 | Old Occitan | damnatge | damage; harm, etc |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | damnaticum | damage |
| 5 | Latin | damnum | damage or injury; loss; a fine |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | dapnom | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dh₂pnóm | expense, investment |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | deh₂p- | to sacrifice; to lose |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | deh₂- | to share, divide |