Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “infamous” come from?

Infamous derives from Medieval Latin infamosus, from Latin infamis, composed of the Latin prefix in- and Latin in, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots bʰeh₂-, ne, and h₁én.

infamous (English): Having a bad reputation, disreputable;...

Definitions

  1. Having a bad reputation, disreputable;...

Ancestry of “infamous”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Medieval Latininfamosus—
2Latinīnfāmis—
3Latinīn-—
4Latinîn—
5Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
6Proto-Italicenin
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin

Words derived from “infamous”

  • infamously
  • infamousness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →