Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “indiscriminately” come from?

Indiscriminately comes from Middle English -ly added to Latin discriminare, from Latin discrimen meaning distinction or difference, derived from the prefix dis- and the suffix -men, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱóm.

indiscriminately (English): In an indiscriminate manner

Definitions

  1. In an indiscriminate manner

Ancestry of “indiscriminately”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishindiscriminateWithout care or making distinctions, thoughtless
2EnglishdiscriminateTo make distinctions; To make decisions based on...
3Latindiscriminatus1. determined
4Latindiscrīminō—
5Latindiscrīmen—
6Latindiscernō—
7Latindis-asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;...
8Latincalceusshoe
9Latincalxlimestone; chalk; the finish line
10Ancient Greekχάλιξsmall stone, pebble; gravel, rubble
Every word from Ancient Greek χάλιξ →