Where does “facetious” come from?
Facetious comes from French facétieux, derived from Latin facetia meaning "wittiness" or "jest," formed with the Latin suffix -ia, which derives from Ancient Greek -ία, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -h₂.
facetious (English): Treating serious issues with inappropriate...
Definitions
- Treating serious issues with inappropriate...
Ancestry of “facetious”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | facétieux | facetious |
| 2 | Latin | facētia | jest, wit, humour |
| 3 | Latin | -ia | Used to form a feminine abstract noun, usually... |
| 4 | Latin | -ius | forming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter... |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | -jōs | Forms comparative adjectives |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -yós | Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems |