Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “heretical” come from?

Heretical comes from Middle French eretical, from Medieval Latin haereticalis, from Latin -alis, from Ancient Greek αἱρετῐκός.

heretical (English): Of or pertaining to heresy or heretics; Contrary...

Definitions

  1. Of or pertaining to heresy or heretics; Contrary...

Ancestry of “heretical”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Medieval Latinhaereticalisheretical
2Latinhaereticusheretical; heretic
3Ancient Greekαἱρετῐκόςable to choose
4Ancient Greekαἱρέωto take, grasp, seize; to win, gain; to convict,...
5Proto-Hellenichəřřéyō—
6Proto-Indo-Europeansēr-—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanser-to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together

Words derived from “heretical”

  • heretically
  • nonheretical
  • unheretical
  • hereticalness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ser- →