Where does “dissimilar” come from?
Dissimilar comes from French similaire, from Latin dis- (prefix meaning "apart") combined with Latin similāris (meaning "like" or "resembling"), ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European roots meaning "same" and "two."
dissimilar (English): Not similar; unalike; different
Definitions
- Not similar; unalike; different
Ancestry of “dissimilar”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | dis- | reversal or removal; apart; Used as an... |
| 2 | Middle English | dis- | — |
| 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 “dissimilar”