Where does “immoral” come from?
Immoral comes from Middle English in- (not) + Latin moralis (relating to custom), from Latin mōs (custom) and the suffix -ālis, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning "to go" and "in."
immoral (English): Not moral; inconsistent with rectitude, purity,...
Definitions
- Not moral; inconsistent with rectitude, purity,...
Ancestry of “immoral”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | im- | Expressing negation; not; Alternative form of the... |
| 2 | English | in- | in, into, towards, within; in, into; Used with... |
| 3 | Middle English | in- | — |
| 4 | Old English | in- | in, into; on, upon; internal, positioned on the... |
| 5 | Old English | in | in; Alternative form of inn |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | *in | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | in | in; into |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | én | in |