Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “impoundment” come from?

Impoundment derives from English impound, formed from the prefix in- and English pound, ultimately from Latin pendere meaning to weigh or hang.

impoundment (English): A body of water impounded within an enclosure,...

Definitions

  1. A body of water impounded within an enclosure,...

Ancestry of “impoundment”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishimpoundto shut up or place in an enclosure called a...
2EnglishPound—
3Middle EnglishpoundA measurement for weight, most notably the Tower...
4Old Englishpundpound
5Proto-Germanic*pund—
6Proto-Germanicpundąpound
7Latinpondusweight; weight of a pound; heaviness, weight of a...
8Proto-Italicpondos—
9Proto-Indo-European(s)pénd-os—
10Proto-Indo-European(s)pend-to stretch
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)pend- →