Where does “divest” come from?
Divest comes from Middle French devester, Old French desvestir meaning to undress, from Old French des- and Latin dis- meaning apart, combined with Latin vestis meaning garment, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dwóh₁.
divest (English): To strip, deprive, or dispossess of something;...
Definitions
- To strip, deprive, or dispossess of something;...
Ancestry of “divest”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | devest | To divest; to undress; To take away, as an... |
| 2 | Middle French | devester | strip of possessions |
| 3 | Old French | desvestir | to undress; to get undressed |
| 4 | Old French | vestir | to dress; to clothe |
| 5 | Latin | vestiō | to clothe, dress |
| 6 | Latin | vestis | garment, gown, robe, vestment, clothing, vesture;... |
| 7 | Latin | līnea | A linen thread |
| 8 | Latin | līnum | flax |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | līnom | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | līnom | flax |