Where does “downside” come from?
Downside combines English down from Middle English down, Old English dūn, Proto-Celtic dūnom, and Gaulish dunum, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂epo meaning away or off.
downside (English): A disadvantageous aspect of something that is...
Definitions
- A disadvantageous aspect of something that is...
Ancestry of “downside”, step by step
downside traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English Side
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Side | A bounding straight edge of a two-dimensional shape |
| 2 | Middle English | side | custom |
| 3 | Old English | sīde | side, flank |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *sīdā | side |
| 5 | Medieval Latin | sida | — |
| 6 | Late Latin | seta | Alternative form of saeta; hair, bristle; bristle |
| 7 | Latin | saeta | a bristle, hair on an animal; silk |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | saitā | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | séh₂ito- | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | sh₂ey- | to bind, fetter |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | seh₂- | to satiate, satisfy |
via English Down
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Down | usually known as County Down |
| 2 | Middle English | doun | down |
| 3 | Old English | dūn | hill, down; hill, dune; hill, mountain |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *dūnā | — |
| 5 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |
via English [[down
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | [[down | — |