Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “disorientation” come from?

Disorientation comes from French orientation with the prefix dis-, from Latin dis- (meaning "apart") and orientātiō, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European dwóh₁ meaning "two."

disorientation (English): the loss of one's sense of direction, or of one's...

Definitions

  1. the loss of one's sense of direction, or of one's...

Ancestry of “disorientation”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishorientationThe determination of the relative position of...
2Frenchorientationorientation
3French-ation-ation
4Middle French-ation-ation
5Old French-ation-ation
6Latin-ātiō—
7Latin-tiō—
8Latindissertātiō—
9Latindissertusarranged, disposed; explained
10Latindissereresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
11Latindis-asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;...
12Latincalceusshoe
13Latincalxlimestone; chalk; the finish line
14Ancient Greekχάλιξsmall stone, pebble; gravel, rubble
Every word from Ancient Greek χάλιξ →