Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “hindrance” come from?

Hindrance derives from English hinder, which combines English hind with Latin -antia, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European ḱem- meaning to obstruct or hold back.

hindrance (English): Something which hinders: something that holds...

Definitions

  1. Something which hinders: something that holds...

Ancestry of “hindrance”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishhinderanceArchaic spelling of hindrance
2English-anceAdded to an adjective or verb to form a noun...
3Middle English-aunce—
4Old French-ance-ance
5Latin-iaUsed to form a feminine abstract noun, usually...
6Latin-iusforming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter...
7Proto-Italic-jōsForms comparative adjectives
8Proto-Indo-European-yósCreates adjectives from noun or verb stems
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yós →