Where does “hostility” come from?
Hostility comes from Middle English hostilitie, from Old French hostilité, from Latin hostilitas, derived from Latin hostis meaning enemy, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʰóstis.
hostility (English): The state of being hostile; A hostile action,...
Definitions
- The state of being hostile; A hostile action,...
Ancestry of “hostility”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | hostilitie | — |
| 2 | Old French | hostilité | — |
| 3 | Latin | hostilitas | hostility, enmity |
| 4 | Latin | hostīlis | hostile |
| 5 | Latin | -ilis | -ile |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -elis | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -elis | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |