Where does “infestment” come from?
infestment (English) comes from English infest, from Middle English infesten, from Old French infester, from Latin īnfestō, from Latin infestus, from Latin infendo, from Latin fendo, from Proto-Indo-European gʷʰen-.
Ancestry of “infestment”, step by step
infestment traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English infest
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | infest | To inhabit a place in unpleasantly large numbers;... |
| 2 | Middle English | infesten | — |
| 3 | Old French | infester | to infest |
| 4 | Latin | īnfestō | to vex repeatedly, trouble, harass, molest also used of adverse physical effects, circumstances, Fortune |
| 5 | Latin | infestus | unsafe, dangerous; hostile, aggressive;... |
| 6 | Latin | infendo | strike |
| 7 | Latin | fendo | I hit; I thrust |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷʰen- | to strike, slay, kill |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰon- | — |