Where does “emphasis” come from?

Emphasis comes from Latin emphasis, from Ancient Greek ἔμφασις, derived from ἐμφαίνω "to show in" and φαίνω "to appear," ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root bʰeh₂- meaning "to shine" or "to appear."

emphasis (English): Special weight or forcefulness given to something...

Definitions

  1. Special weight or forcefulness given to something...

Ancestry of “emphasis”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinemphasisemphasis
2Ancient Greekἔμφασιςappearance; outward appearance, reflection,...
3Ancient GreekἐμφαίνωI present, I indicate; I show, present
4Ancient Greekἐν-in, within; on
5Ancient Greekἐνin, on, at; among; in, at, or during the time of
6Ancient Greekδέρμαskin, hide
7Ancient Greekγλυφήcarving, carved work; hole cut
8Ancient Greek-ῐ́ᾱ{{l|en|-ia}}; "suffix forming abstract feminine...
9Proto-Indo-European-íh₂
10Proto-Indo-European-h₂Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups...

Words derived from “emphasis

Every word from Proto-Indo-European -h₂
emphasis — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer