Where does “deflator” come from?
Deflator derives from English deflate, which combines the Latin prefix de- with inflate, itself from Latin in- plus the root flāre (to blow), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-.
deflator (English): That which deflates; A factor applied to economic...
Definitions
- That which deflates; A factor applied to economic...
Ancestry of “deflator”, step by step
deflator traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English deflate
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | deflate | To remove air or some other gas from within an... |
| 2 | English | inflate | To enlarge an object by pushing air into it; to... |
| 3 | Latin | īnflātus | inflated, having been blown into |
| 4 | Latin | īnflō | to inflate; to blow into |
| 5 | Latin | flō | to breathe, blow |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | flāō | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰleh₁- | to bleat; to cry; to blow |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |
via English ‐or
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ‐or | Creates an agent noun, often from a verb, indicating a person or object (often machines or parts of them) that do the verb or part of speech with which they are formed |
| 2 | Middle English | -our | — |
| 3 | Old French | -eor | Alternative form of -or |
| 4 | Latin | -ator | -ator, -er; second-person singular future passive... |
| 5 | Latin | -tor | -er |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -tōr | Forms agent nouns to verb stems |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -tōr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -tor-s | — |