Where does “detective” come from?
detective (English) comes from English detect, from Latin detectus, from Latin dē-, from Latin dē, from Latin post, from Latin poste, from Proto-Italic posti, from Proto-Indo-European pósti — afterwards, post; by, at.
detective (English): A police officer who looks for evidence as part...
Definitions
- A police officer who looks for evidence as part...
Ancestry of “detective”, step by step
detective traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English detect
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | detect | to discover or find by careful search,... |
| 2 | Latin | detectus | uncovered, revealed, disclosed |
| 3 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 4 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 5 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 6 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |
via French détective
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | détective | detective (police officer who looks for evidence) |