Where does “hermit” come from?
Hermit comes from Middle English hermite, from Old French eremite, from Late Latin eremita, from Ancient Greek ἐρημίτης, derived from ἐρημία meaning desolation, from ἔρημος meaning desert or solitary.
hermit (English): A religious recluse; someone who lives alone for...
Definitions
- A religious recluse; someone who lives alone for...
Ancestry of “hermit”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | hermite | — |
| 2 | Old French | eremite | hermit |
| 3 | Latin | erēmīta | hermit, eremite |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ἐρημίτης | person of the desert |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ἐρημία | desert, desolate/uninhabited area,wilderness;... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -ίτης | Suffix forming a masculine noun: one connected... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | πολῑ́της | citizen |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | -της | Forms nouns representing a state of being; Added... |
| 9 | Proto-Hellenic | -tāts | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ts | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | -tós | Creates verbal adjectives from verb stems |