Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “disentangle” come from?

Disentangle comes from Middle English dis- combined with tangle, with the dis- prefix deriving from Latin dis- meaning apart, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dwóh₁ meaning two.

disentangle (English): To free something from entanglement; to extricate...

Definitions

  1. To free something from entanglement; to extricate...

Ancestry of “disentangle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishdis-reversal or removal; apart; Used as an...
2Middle Englishdis-—
3Old Frenchdes-de-; dis-
4Latindis-asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;...
5Latincalceusshoe
6Latincalxlimestone; chalk; the finish line
7Ancient Greekχάλιξsmall stone, pebble; gravel, rubble

Words derived from “disentangle”

  • disentangler
Every word from Ancient Greek χάλιξ →