Where does “frivolity” come from?
Frivolity comes from French frivolité, from French frivole and Latin -itas, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰreyH- meaning to break or fragment.
frivolity (English): frivolous act; state of being frivolous
Definitions
- frivolous act; state of being frivolous
Ancestry of “frivolity”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | frivolité | frivolity |
| 2 | French | -ité | Alternative form of -té, giving a quality or... |
| 3 | Latin | -īta | — |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -ίτης | Suffix forming a masculine noun: one connected... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | πολῑ́της | citizen |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -της | Forms nouns representing a state of being; Added... |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | -tāts | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ts | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -tós | Creates verbal adjectives from verb stems |