Where does “false friend” come from?
false friend (English) comes from French faux-ami, from French ami, from Middle French amy, from Old French ami, from Latin amīcus, from Latin amō, from Latin Deus, from Latin dẹ̄vos — to be bright; sky, heaven.
false friend (English): A word in a language that bears a deceptive...
Definitions
- A word in a language that bears a deceptive...
Ancestry of “false friend”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | faux-ami | Faux ami, false friend |
| 2 | French | ami | friend; male friend |
| 3 | Middle French | amy | friend |
| 4 | Old French | ami | friend |
| 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 |