Where does “decrepit” come from?
Decrepit comes from Middle French décrépit, from Latin decrepitus, from Latin crepare meaning "to crack," combined with Latin de, from Proto-Indo-European de and ḱer-.
decrepit (English): Weakened or worn out from age or wear
Definitions
- Weakened or worn out from age or wear
Ancestry of “decrepit”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | décrépit | decrepit; past participle of décrépir |
| 2 | Latin | decrepitus | Of old men or old animals, very old |
| 3 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 4 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 5 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 6 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |