Where does “infodump” come from?
infodump (English) comes from English info, from English information, from Middle English enformacioun, from Latin īnfōrmātiō, from Latin -tiō, from Latin dissertātiō, from Latin dissertus, from Latin disserere — small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble.
Ancestry of “infodump”, step by step
infodump traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English info
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | info | information |
| 2 | English | information | That which resolves uncertainty; anything that... |
| 3 | Middle English | enformacioun | Teaching, education; the dissemination of knowledge |
| 4 | Latin | īnfōrmātiō | sketch, idea, conception |
| 5 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 6 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 7 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 8 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 9 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 10 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 11 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 12 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |