Where does “direful” come from?
Direful comes from English dire and Old English -ful, itself from Proto-Indo-European dwey- and Proto-Germanic fullaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁-.
direful (English): Fearful, terrible
Definitions
- Fearful, terrible
Ancestry of “direful”, step by step
direful traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English dire
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | dire | Warning of bad consequences: ill-boding;... |
| 2 | Latin | dirus | fearful; ominous; dreadful, detestable |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | deiros | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | dwey- | to fear |
via English ful
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ful | — |