Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “feverish” come from?

Feverish comes from Middle English -isch and Old English -isċ, suffixes added to a word derived from Latin febris, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰegʰʰ-.

feverish (English): Having a fever, an elevated body temperature;...

Definitions

  1. Having a fever, an elevated body temperature;...

Ancestry of “feverish”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfeverA higher than normal body temperature of a person...
2Middle Englishfever—
3Old Englishfefer—
4Latinfebrisfever
5Proto-Italic*feɣʷris—
6Proto-Indo-Europeandʰegʷʰris—
7Proto-Indo-Europeandʰegʷʰ-to burn; warm, hot

Words derived from “feverish”

  • feverishly
  • feverishness
  • unfeverish
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰegʷʰ- →