Where does “deleterious” come from?
Deleterious comes from Medieval Latin deleterius, from Ancient Greek δηλητήριος, derived from the agent noun δηλητήρ, from the verb δηλέομαι meaning to harm or injure.
deleterious (English): Harmful often in a subtle or unexpected way;...
Definitions
- Harmful often in a subtle or unexpected way;...
Ancestry of “deleterious”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medieval Latin | deleterius | — |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | δηλητήριος | harmful, damaging, destructive; mischievous |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | δηλητήρ | destroyer |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -τήρ | Added to verb stems to form masculine agent nouns |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |