Where does “discover” come from?
Discover comes from Middle English discoveren, from Old French descovrir, from Late Latin discoperire, ultimately from Latin discooperio meaning to uncover.
discover (English): To find or learn something for the first time; To...
Definitions
- To find or learn something for the first time; To...
Ancestry of “discover”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | discoveren | — |
| 2 | Old French | descovrir | to uncover, to reveal; to discover |
| 3 | Latin | discoperīre | — |
| 4 | Latin | discooperiō | to expose, lay bare |
| 5 | Latin | cooperiō | to cover wholly or over, overwhelm, clothe |
| 6 | Latin | cōn- | Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing together of several objects |
| 7 | Latin | cum | with, along with; at; -fold |
| 8 | Old Latin | com | Alternative form of cum |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | kom | with, along, at |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 12 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 13 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 14 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 15 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 16 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 17 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
| 18 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |