Where does “disutility” come from?
Disutility comes from English utile combined with the Latin prefix dis- and suffix -itas, ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European dwóh₁.
disutility (English): uselessness, a lack of utility; negative utility;...
Definitions
- uselessness, a lack of utility; negative utility;...
Ancestry of “disutility”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | utility | The state or condition of being useful;... |
| 2 | Middle English | utilite | benefit, gain, profit |
| 3 | Old French | utilite | — |
| 4 | Latin | ūtilitas | usefulness, utility |
| 5 | Latin | ūtilis | useful, serviceable, beneficial, profitable, advantageous; helpful |
| 6 | Latin | ūtor | to use, make use of, employ |
| 7 | Proto-Slavic | *ǫtorъ | croze |
| 8 | Proto-Slavic | torъ | paddock, pen |
| 9 | Proto-Slavic | terti | to rub, to scrape; to polish |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | terh₁- | to rub, turn; to drill, pierce |