Where does “dismemberment” come from?
Dismemberment comes from Old French desmembrer, combining the prefix des- with membre meaning "limb," ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European dwóh₁ meaning "two."
dismemberment (English): The act of dismembering; The state or condition...
Definitions
- The act of dismembering; The state or condition...
Ancestry of “dismemberment”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | dismember | To remove the limbs of; To cut or otherwise... |
| 2 | Old French | desmembrer | to dismember; to dismantle; to destroy; to rip to... |
| 3 | Old French | des | — |
| 4 | Old French | de | of; from |
| 5 | Latin | datum | gift, present; accusative supine of dō;... |
| 6 | Latin | datus | given; offered; yielded |
| 7 | Latin | dāre | — |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | didō | give |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dédeh₃ti | to be giving |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | deh₃- | to give |