Where does “disguise” come from?
Disguise comes from Middle English disgisen, from Old French desguiser, combining the prefix des- with guiser, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to change or alter appearance.
disguise (English): Material used to alter one’s visual appearance...
Definitions
- Material used to alter one’s visual appearance...
Ancestry of “disguise”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | disgisen | — |
| 2 | Old French | desguiser | Alternative form of desguisier |
| 3 | Old French | des- | de-; dis- |
| 4 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 5 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 6 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |
Words derived from “disguise”