Where does “heretic” come from?
Heretic comes from Old French eretique, from Ecclesiastical Latin haereticus, from Ancient Greek αἱρετικός, derived from the verb αἱρέω meaning "to choose," ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European roots ster- and ser-.
heretic (English): Someone who believes contrary to the fundamental...
Definitions
- Someone who believes contrary to the fundamental...
Ancestry of “heretic”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Polish | heretyk | heretic |
| 2 | Old French | eretique | — |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | haereticus | heretical; heretic |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | αἱρετικός | able to choose, factious |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | αἱρέω | to take, grasp, seize; to win, gain; to convict,... |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | həřřéyō | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sēr- | to flow |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ser- | to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together |