Where does “hindsight” come from?
Hindsight comes from Middle English siȝht combined with the prefix hind- from Proto-Germanic hinder, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sekʷ- meaning to see or follow.
hindsight (English): Realisation or understanding of the significance...
Definitions
- Realisation or understanding of the significance...
Ancestry of “hindsight”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | hind | Located at the rear; A female deer, especially a... |
| 2 | Middle English | hind | — |
| 3 | Old English | hind | hind |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hindiz | doe, hind |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hemdiz | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱem- | to cover, conceal; hornless |
Words derived from “hindsight”