Where does “defiant” come from?

Defiant comes from French défiant, the present participle of French défier, which combines French dé- and Middle French des-, ultimately from Latin ferus meaning wild, and Proto-Indo-European bʰidʰ-.

defiant (English): Defying; Boldly resisting opposition; One who...

Definitions

  1. Defying; Boldly resisting opposition; One who...

Ancestry of “defiant”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchdéfiantpresent participle of défier; mistrustful
2Old Frenchdesfiant—

Words derived from “defiant”

Every word from Old French desfiant →Every word from French défiant →