Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “detail” come from?

Detail comes from French détail, which derives from Latin dis- ("apart") and ex, ultimately meaning to describe something in separate parts.

detail (English): Something small enough to escape casual notice; A...

Definitions

  1. Something small enough to escape casual notice; A...

Ancestry of “detail”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchdétaildetail
2Frenchdétaillerto detail; to retail
3Old Frenchdetailler—
4Old Frenchdé-—
5Latindē-—
6Latindē—
7Latinpostbehind; after, since, besides, except; behind,...
8Latinposteablative singular of postis
9Proto-Italicposti—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpósti—
11Proto-Indo-Europeanpósafterwards, post; by, at

Words derived from “detail”

  • detail
  • detailer
  • detailee
  • detailless
  • microdetail
  • detaileth
  • detallar
  • detalle
  • dettaglio
  • деталь
  • détail
  • detailliert
  • detailverliebt
  • Detail
  • detall
  • detallar
  • detalema
  • detalo
  • detala
  • detale
  • detail
  • detailhandel
  • detalj
  • detaljhandel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pós →