Where does “discretionarily” come from?
discretionarily (English) comes from English discretionary, from English discretion, from Old French discretion, from Late Latin discretio, from Latin discernō, from Latin dis-, from Latin calceus, from Latin calx — small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble.
discretionarily (English): At one's discretion
Ancestry of “discretionarily”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | discretionary | Available at one's discretion; able to be used as... |
| 2 | English | discretion | The quality of being discreet or circumspect; The... |
| 3 | Old French | discretion | discretion |
| 4 | Late Latin | discretio | separation; difference, distinction; discernment,... |
| 5 | Latin | discernō | — |
| 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 |