Where does “embrace” come from?
Embrace comes from Middle English embracen, from Old French embracier, from Late Latin imbracchiare meaning to encircle with arms, derived from Latin bracchia arms and the prefix in-.
embrace (English): To clasp in the arms with affection; to take in...
Definitions
- To clasp in the arms with affection; to take in...
Ancestry of “embrace”, step by step
embrace traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French embrasser
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | embrasser | to hug, embrace; to kiss |
| 2 | Italian | abbracciare | to embrace someone or something; to hug |
| 3 | Spanish | abrazar | to hug, to embrace; to embrace; to adopt; to hug,... |
| 4 | Spanish | abracar | to hug, to embrace |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | adbracchiare | — |
| 6 | Latin | bracchium | forearm; arm; limb of an animal |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | βραχίων | the arm, the shoulder; comparative degree of... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | βραχύς | short, brief; short, small, little; few |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | mréǵʰus | short; brief |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | mreǵʰ- | short |