Where does “enemy” come from?
Enemy comes from Middle English enemy, Old French enemi, and Latin inimicus, combining the Latin prefix in- (not) with a root from Proto-Indo-European ne (not).
enemy (English): Someone who is hostile to, feels hatred towards,...
Definitions
- Someone who is hostile to, feels hatred towards,...
Ancestry of “enemy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | enemy | An enemy, foe, or adversary |
| 2 | Old French | enemi | enemy |
| 3 | Old French | inimi | Alternative form of enemi |
| 4 | Latin | inimīcus | enemy, foe someone who is hostile to, feels hatred towards, opposes the interests of, or intends injury to someone else |
| 5 | Latin | amīcus | friendly, well-disposed, amicable |
| 6 | Latin | amō | to love |
| 7 | Latin | Deus | God |
| 8 | Latin | dẹ̄vos | — |
| 9 | Old Latin | deivos | god, deity |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | deiwos | god, deity |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | deywós | god |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | dyew- | to be bright; sky, heaven |