Where does “imposter” come from?
Imposter comes from Middle French imposteur, a term for one who imposes or deceives.
imposter (English): Alternative spelling of impostor
Definitions
- Alternative spelling of impostor
Ancestry of “imposter”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | imposteur | impostor, fake |
| 2 | Latin | impostor | impostor |
| 3 | Late Latin | impositor | — |
| 4 | Latin | impono | I place on or upon, set upon, lay upon; I impose... |
| 5 | Latin | im- | Alternative form of in-; form of "in"; in |
| 6 | Latin | īn- | un-, non-, not |
| 7 | Latin | în | in, at, on, upon, from (space) |
| 8 | Latin | en | lookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | en | in |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |