Where does “discretely” come from?
Discretely comes from Middle English -ly adverb suffix added to discrete, from Latin discretus meaning separated, derived from discernere meaning to distinguish, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to sift or separate.
discretely (English): As a separate independent unit
Definitions
- As a separate independent unit
Ancestry of “discretely”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | discrete | Separate; distinct; individual; non-continuous;... |
| 2 | Old French | discret | different |
| 3 | Latin | discrētus | separated |
| 4 | Latin | discernō | to separate, set apart, divide, part |
| 5 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 6 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 7 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |