Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “disenchantment” come from?

Disenchantment comes from Middle English dis- combined with enchantment, ultimately deriving from Latin dis- (meaning apart) and -mentum (a suffix forming nouns), with roots tracing to Proto-Indo-European dwóh₁ and Latin in-.

disenchantment (English): The act of disenchanting or the state of being...

Definitions

  1. The act of disenchanting or the state of being...

Ancestry of “disenchantment”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishenchantmentThe act of enchanting or the feeling of being...
2Middle Englishenchauntementmagic, sorcery; sorcerous force
3Old Frenchenchantementcharm
4Old Frenchenchanterto enchant
5Latinincantō—
6Latincantō—
7Latincanō—
8Proto-Italickanōto sing
9Proto-Germanickanôvessel, vat, tub; boat
10Proto-Indo-Europeangan-a vessel, tub; a vessel, vat, tub
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gan- →