Where does “downtrodden” come from?
Downtrodden comes from English down- combined with English trod, the past tense of English tread, which descends from Middle English treden, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dreu-.
downtrodden (English): Oppressed, persecuted or subjugated; Trodden...
Definitions
- Oppressed, persecuted or subjugated; Trodden...
Ancestry of “downtrodden”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | downtrod | oppress, suppress, exploit, persecute, step down... |
| 2 | English | trod | simple past tense of tread; To walk heavily or... |
| 3 | Middle English | trod | — |
| 4 | Middle English | treden | To place one's foot on something; to lay a step... |
| 5 | Middle English | -en | Denotes the past participle form when attached to... |
| 6 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 7 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 8 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |