Where does “demystify” come from?
Demystify comes from French démystifier, formed with the prefix dé- from Middle French des-, combining Latin -ficare (meaning to make) from facio (to do) and ex, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots dʰeh₁- and dwóh₁.
demystify (English): To remove the mystery from something; to explain...
Definitions
- To remove the mystery from something; to explain...
Ancestry of “demystify”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | démystifier | to demystify |
| 2 | French | dé- | used to make antonyms |
| 3 | Middle French | dés- | de-; dis |
| 4 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 5 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 6 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 7 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |