Where does “distinguished” come from?
Distinguished comes from Middle English -ed, Old English -od, and Latin distinguere, which combines the prefix dis- with a root traced to Proto-Indo-European dwís and dwóh₁.
distinguished (English): celebrated, well-known or eminent because of past...
Definitions
- celebrated, well-known or eminent because of past...
Ancestry of “distinguished”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | distinguish | To recognize someone or something as different... |
| 2 | Middle English | distingwen | — |
| 3 | Old French | distinguer | — |
| 4 | Latin | distinguo | I distinguish, separate, divide or part; I adorn... |
| 5 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 6 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 7 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |