Where does “female circumcision” come from?
female circumcision (English) comes from English female, from Middle English female, from Middle English femelle, from Old French femelle, from Medieval Latin femella, from Latin femella, from Latin -lus, from Proto-Italic -elos — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
female circumcision (English): The removal of the clitoral hood, the female...
Definitions
- The removal of the clitoral hood, the female...
Ancestry of “female circumcision”, step by step
female circumcision traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English female
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | female | Belonging to the sex which typically produces... |
| 2 | Middle English | female | — |
| 3 | Middle English | femelle | — |
| 4 | Old French | femelle | female |
| 5 | Medieval Latin | femella | a female; girl, young woman; vocative singular of... |
| 6 | Latin | femella | girl, young woman; vocative singular of femella;... |
| 7 | Latin | -lus | Alternative form of -ulus; diminutive suffix |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
via English circumcision
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | circumcision | The surgical removal of the foreskin of the... |
| 2 | Latin | circumcisio | circumcision, a cutting around |
| 3 | Latin | circumcido | I cut around, make an incision around, clip,... |
| 4 | Latin | circum- | circum- round, about |
| 5 | Latin | circum | about, around; in a circle, all around, on both... |
| 6 | Latin | circus | a circular line or orbit; circle, ring; a... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | κρίκος | ring |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ḱer- | dung, manure, filth; manure, dung, filth |