Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “de-escalate” come from?

de-escalate (English) comes from English escalate, from French escalade, from Italian scalata, from Italian scalare, from Italian scala, from Byzantine Greek σκάλα, from Latin scāla, from Latin scandere.

de-escalate (English): To decrease in intensity or magnitude

Definitions

  1. To decrease in intensity or magnitude

Ancestry of “de-escalate”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishescalateTo increase in extent or intensity; to intensify...
2Frenchescaladeclimbing; escalation; first-person singular...
3Italianscalatascaling, climbing; climb; feminine singular of...
4ItalianscalareTo climb or scale; To pay off a debt in...
5Italianscalaladder; stair; scale
6Byzantine Greekσκάλα—
7Latinscāla—
8Latinscanderethird-person plural perfect active indicative of...
9Latinscandō—
10Proto-Indo-Europeansḱend-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sḱend- →