Where does “devise” come from?

Devise comes from Middle English devysen, from Old French deviser, from Vulgar Latin devisare, from Latin diviso, ultimately from Latin divido meaning "to divide," with the prefix dis- and root from Proto-Indo-European dwís.

devise (English): To use one's intellect to plan or design; To...

Definitions

To use one's intellect to plan or design; To...

Ancestry of “devise”, step by step

devise traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English devisen

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Middle English	devisen	Alternative form of devysen
2	Old French	deviser	to divide
3	Vulgar Latin	devisare	—
4	Latin	divisāre	—
5	Latin	dīvīsum	—
6	Latin	dīvidō	to divide, separate
7	Latin	dis-	asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;...
8	Latin	calceus	shoe
9	Latin	calx	limestone; chalk; the finish line
10	Ancient Greek	χάλιξ	small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble

via Middle French devise

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Middle French	devise	—
2	Old French	devise	—

Words derived from “devise”

Every word from Ancient Greek χάλιξ →Every word from Latin dis- →Every word from Latin calx →