Where does “enslave” come from?
Enslave comes from Middle English en- combined with slave, from Old French en- (in-), from Latin in- (prefix meaning in or into), derived from Latin in (in), from Proto-Indo-European ne (not) and h₁én (in).
enslave (English): To make subservient; to strip one of freedom;...
Definitions
- To make subservient; to strip one of freedom;...
Ancestry of “enslave”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | slave | A person who is held in servitude as the property... |
| 2 | Middle English | sclave | slave individual held in slavery |
| 3 | French | esclave | slave |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | sclavus | Slav, slave; slave |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | Σκλάβος | Slav |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | Σκλαβηνός | Slavic |
| 7 | Proto-Slavic | slověninъ | Slav |
| 8 | Proto-Slavic | slovo | word |
| 9 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | ślawas | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱléwos | fame |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱlew- | to hear |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱel- | to cover; to incline |