Where does “definition” come from?
Definition comes from Middle English diffinicioun, from Middle French definition, from Latin definitio, a noun formed from the suffix -tio attached to Latin de- and the root finis meaning boundary or limit.
definition (English): A statement of the meaning of a word or word...
Definitions
- A statement of the meaning of a word or word...
Ancestry of “definition”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | diffinicioun | — |
| 2 | Middle French | definition | definition |
| 3 | Latin | dēfīnītiō | definition; precise description |
| 4 | Latin | dēfīniō | to bound, set bounds to; to limit |
| 5 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 6 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 7 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 8 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |