Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “disavow” come from?

Disavow comes from Middle English disavowen, combining the prefix dis- with avow, ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning "to" and "two."

disavow (English): To strongly and solemnly refuse to own or...

Definitions

  1. To strongly and solemnly refuse to own or...

Ancestry of “disavow”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-ál—
2EnglishaldehydeAny of a large class of reactive organic...
3GermanAldehydaldehyde
4Latinalcoholkohl, collyrium, stibium; any other powder...
5Andalusian Arabicكُحُول—
6Arabicكحلantimony; kohl, stibnite; black coloring of the...
7Arabicكُحْلantimony; kohl, stibnite
8Akkadianguḫlum—

Words derived from “disavow”

  • disavowable
  • disavowment
  • disavower
Every word from Akkadian guḫlum →