Where does “demi” come from?
demi (English) comes from Middle English demi, from Anglo-Norman demi, from Latin dīmidius, from Latin medius, from Latin locus, from Old Latin stlocus, from Proto-Italic stlokos, from Proto-Indo-European stel- — to put, to place; to locate.
demi (English): Alternative spelling of demy; A fifty pence...
Definitions
- Alternative spelling of demy; A fifty pence...
Ancestry of “demi”, step by step
demi traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English demi
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | demi | half, half-sized, partial |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | demi | half |
| 3 | Latin | dīmidius | half |
| 4 | Latin | medius | middle; half; moderate |
| 5 | Latin | locus | place, spot; a passage of literature; "in the... |
| 6 | Old Latin | stlocus | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | stlokos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | stel- | to put, to place; to locate |
via English demimonde
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | demimonde | A class of women maintained by wealthy... |
| 2 | French | demi-monde | demimonde |
| 3 | French | monde | world; people; good heavens |
| 4 | Old French | monde | the world; clean; pure |
| 5 | Latin | mundus | clean, pure; neat; nice, fine, elegant,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | mewH- | to wash, wet; to make wet, wash; wet |