Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “debriefing” come from?

Debriefing comes from English debrief, itself from English brief and Latin de, ultimately from Latin brevis meaning short, traced to Proto-Indo-European mréǵʰus.

debriefing (English): The act of debriefing, or the state of being...

Definitions

  1. The act of debriefing, or the state of being...

Ancestry of “debriefing”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdebriefTo question someone after a military mission in...
2Englishde-reversal, undoing, removing; Intensifying; from,...
3Latindē-—
4Latindē—
5Latinpostbehind; after, since, besides, except; behind,...
6Latinposteablative singular of postis
7Proto-Italicposti—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpósti—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpósafterwards, post; by, at

Words derived from “debriefing”

  • postdebriefing
  • predebriefing
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pós →