Where does “dilator” come from?
Dilator comes from English dilate, from Middle English dilaten, from Old French dilater, from Latin dilātāre meaning to spread out, derived from lātus meaning wide and the prefix dis-.
dilator (English): Any nerve or muscle that causes part of the body...
Definitions
- Any nerve or muscle that causes part of the body...
Ancestry of “dilator”, step by step
dilator traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English dilate
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | dilate | To enlarge; to make bigger; To become wider or... |
| 2 | Middle English | dilaten | — |
| 3 | Old French | dilater | — |
| 4 | Latin | dīlātō | to spread out, extend, dilate |
| 5 | Latin | differō | to carry different ways, spread, scatter, disperse, separate |
| 6 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 7 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 8 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |
via English ‐or
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ‐or | Creates an agent noun, often from a verb, indicating a person or object (often machines or parts of them) that do the verb or part of speech with which they are formed |
| 2 | Middle English | -our | — |
| 3 | Old French | -eor | Alternative form of -or |
| 4 | Latin | -ator | -ator, -er; second-person singular future passive... |
| 5 | Latin | -tor | -er |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -tōr | Forms agent nouns to verb stems |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -tōr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -tor-s | — |