Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “downslide” come from?

downslide (English) comes from English slide, from Middle English sliden, from Old English slīdan, from Proto-Germanic slīdaną, from Proto-Indo-European sléydʰ-e-ti, from Proto-Indo-European sleydʰ- — to slip, slide; to be slippery, slick.

downslide (English): A slide downward; a worsening

Definitions

  1. A slide downward; a worsening

Ancestry of “downslide”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishslideTo move in continuous contact with a surface; To...
2Middle EnglishslidenTo slide; to propel oneself along a surface; To...
3Old Englishslīdanto slide
4Proto-Germanicslīdanąto slide, to slip
5Proto-Indo-Europeansléydʰ-e-ti—
6Proto-Indo-Europeansleydʰ-to slip, slide; to be slippery, slick
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sleydʰ- →