Where does “insult” come from?

Insult comes from Middle French insulter, meaning to treat with contempt or abuse.

insult (English): To be insensitive, insolent, or rude to (somebody); to affront or demean (someone)

Definitions

  1. To be insensitive, insolent, or rude to (somebody); to affront or demean (someone)

Ancestry of “insult”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchinsult—
2Latininsultusa scoffing, reviling, insult
3LatininsilioI leap upon or in; I bound
4Latinīn-un-, non-, not
5Latinînin, at, on, upon, from (space)
6Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
7Proto-Italicenin
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin

Words derived from “insult”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →Every word from Latin īn- →Every word from Proto-Italic en →