Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “insanity” come from?

Insanity derives from French -ité, Latin -itas, Latin in and Proto-Indo-European ne, combined with Latin -itas and Proto-Indo-European -it-.

insanity (English): The state of being insane; madness

Definitions

  1. The state of being insane; madness

Ancestry of “insanity”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinīnsānus—
2Latinīn-—
3Latinîn—
4Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
5Proto-Italicenin
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →