Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “encroach” come from?

Encroach comes from Middle English encrochen, from Old French encrochier, combining the prefix en- with a root derived from Latin -arius and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ger- and h₁én.

encroach (English): to seize, appropriate; to intrude unrightfully on...

Definitions

  1. to seize, appropriate; to intrude unrightfully on...

Ancestry of “encroach”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishencrochen—
2Old Frenchencrochierto hook
3Old Frenchieryesterday
4Latinherī—
5Latinhereyesterday; second-person singular present active...
6Proto-Italichezī—
7Proto-Indo-Europeandʰǵʰyésiyesterday
8Proto-Indo-Europeandʰǵʰyes-yesterday, the day before
9Proto-Indo-Europeandʰeǵʰ-day

Words derived from “encroach”

  • encroachment
  • encroacher
  • encroacheth
  • encroachest
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰeǵʰ- →