Where does “hypocrite” come from?
Hypocrite comes from Old French ypocrite, from Latin hypocrita, from Ancient Greek ὑποκριτής, derived from the verb ὑποκρίνομαι meaning to play-act or pretend, ultimately from the root κρῑ́νω meaning to separate or judge.
hypocrite (English): Someone who practices hypocrisy, who pretends to...
Definitions
- Someone who practices hypocrisy, who pretends to...
Ancestry of “hypocrite”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | ypocrite | Alternative form of ipocrite |
| 2 | Latin | hypocrita | mimic; hypocrite |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ὑποκριτής | one who answers: interpreter, expounder; stage... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ὑποκρίνομαι | to answer; to interpret; to dialogue, to answer... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ῠ̔ποκρῑ́νω | — |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ῠ̔πο- | under, lower; by, under; under”, “beneath |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ὑπό | |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | upó | under, below |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ewp- | — |