Where does “disinterest” come from?
Disinterest comes from Old French interesse, from Latin interesse, composed of the prefix dis- and esse meaning "to be," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₁ésmi.
disinterest (English): A lack of interest; The absence of bias; What is...
Definitions
- A lack of interest; The absence of bias; What is...
Ancestry of “disinterest”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | interest | The price paid for obtaining, or price received... |
| 2 | Old French | interest | — |
| 3 | French | intérêt | interest; point |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | interesse | present active infinitive of intersum; to... |
| 5 | Latin | interesse | present active infinitive of intersum; to... |
| 6 | Latin | esse | present infinitive of sum; state, condition;... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | οὐσία | that which is one's own, one's substance,... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | εἰμί | To be, exist; live; To be; it is possible |
| 9 | Proto-Hellenic | ehmi | to be |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁ésmi | first-person singular present indicative of... |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁ēs- | to be |