Where does “dismay” come from?
Dismay comes from Middle English dismayen, from Anglo-Norman desmaiier and Old French esmaier, ultimately from Latin ex- combined with mago, both from Proto-Indo-European magʰ-.
dismay (English): To cause to feel apprehension; great sadness, or...
Definitions
- To cause to feel apprehension; great sadness, or...
Ancestry of “dismay”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | dismayen | — |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | desmaiier | — |
| 3 | Old French | esmaier | to be frightened; to be scared; to frighten; to... |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | exmagare | to deprive of strength, to disable; deprive of... |
| 5 | Latin | magare | to enable; empower; to enable, empower |
| 6 | Frankish | magan | to be able, may |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | maganą | to be able, may |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (me)mógʰe | to have power, to be able to |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | megʰ- | to be able |