Where does “discreetly” come from?
Discreetly comes from Middle English -ly added to Old English -līċ, from Latin discretus (separated), derived from discernere (to distinguish) and cernere (to sift), with the prefix dis- and root from Proto-Indo-European ḱóm.
discreetly (English): Acting in a discreet manner; acting in a way that...
Definitions
- Acting in a discreet manner; acting in a way that...
Ancestry of “discreetly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | discreet | Respectful of privacy or secrecy; exercising... |
| 2 | Middle English | discrete | — |
| 3 | Old French | discret | different |
| 4 | Latin | discrētus | separated |
| 5 | Latin | discernō | to separate, set apart, divide, part |
| 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 |