Where does “ecstasy” come from?
Ecstasy comes from Old French estaise, from Latin ecstasis, from Ancient Greek ἔκστασις, derived from ἐξίστημι meaning to displace or put out of place, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root steh₂- meaning to stand.
ecstasy (English): Intense pleasure; A state of emotion so intense...
Definitions
- Intense pleasure; A state of emotion so intense...
Ancestry of “ecstasy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | estaise | ecstasy, rapture |
| 2 | Latin | ecstasis | ecstasy, trance, rapture |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ἔκστασις | displacement from proper place; displacement of... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ἐξίστημι | I displace; I change; I am displaced, I make way;... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ἵστημι | to make to stand, to stand, set; to stop, stay,... |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | hístāmi | to stand |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | stísteh₂ti | to be standing up, to be getting up |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | steh₂- | to stand |