Where does “exploit” come from?
Exploit comes from Old French esploitier, derived from Old French espleit, which comes from Latin explicitus, the past participle of explico meaning to unfold or unfurl, from the prefix ex-.
exploit (English): A heroic or extraordinary deed; An achievement; A...
Definitions
- A heroic or extraordinary deed; An achievement; A...
Ancestry of “exploit”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | esploit | income; revenue; act; action; profit; advantage |
| 2 | Old French | espleit | Alternative form of esploit |
| 3 | Latin | explicitus | Alternative form of explicātus; disentangled,... |
| 4 | Latin | explico | I unfold, unfurl, uncoil, loosen, undo; I deploy,... |
| 5 | Latin | plicō | to fold, bend or flex; to roll up |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pleḱ- | to fold, plait, weave |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pel- | to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold |