Where does “decry” come from?
Decry comes from Old French descrier, formed from the prefix des- and a root from Latin dis- and Latin ex, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to separate or divide.
decry (English): To denounce as harmful; To blame for ills
Definitions
- To denounce as harmful; To blame for ills
Ancestry of “decry”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | descrier | to announce; to proclaim; to cry out; to shout... |
| 2 | Old French | des | — |
| 3 | Old French | de | of; from |
| 4 | Latin | datum | gift, present; accusative supine of dō;... |
| 5 | Latin | datus | given; offered; yielded |
| 6 | Latin | dāre | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | didō | give |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dédeh₃ti | to be giving |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | deh₃- | to give |
Words derived from “decry”