Where does “governmentalese” come from?
governmentalese (English) comes from English governmental, from English -ál, from English aldehyde, from German Aldehyd, from Latin alcohol, from Andalusian Arabic كُحُول, from Arabic كحل, from Arabic كُحْل — kohl, antimony paste.
Ancestry of “governmentalese”, step by step
governmentalese traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English governmental
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | governmental | Relating to a government; Relating to governing |
| 2 | English | -ál | Of or pertaining to. Adjectival suffix appended to various words, often nouns, to produce an adjective form. Often added to words of Latin origin, but used with other words also |
| 3 | English | aldehyde | Any of a large class of reactive organic... |
| 4 | German | Aldehyd | aldehyde |
| 5 | Latin | alcohol | kohl, collyrium, stibium; any other powder... |
| 6 | Andalusian Arabic | كُحُول | — |
| 7 | Arabic | كحل | antimony; kohl, stibnite; black coloring of the... |
| 8 | Arabic | كُحْل | antimony; kohl, stibnite |
| 9 | Akkadian | guḫlum | kohl, antimony paste |