Where does “irony” come from?
Irony comes from Latin ironia, from Ancient Greek εἰρωνεία, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning dissimulation or feigned ignorance in speech.
irony (English): A statement that, when taken in context, may...
Definitions
- A statement that, when taken in context, may...
Ancestry of “irony”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | ironie | — |
| 2 | Latin | ironia | irony |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | εἰρωνεία | hypocrisy, deception, especially a feigned... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -είᾱ | Superficially appears in abstract nouns derived from σ-stem adjectives, with the true suffix being |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -ής | adjective suffix |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -ēs | Primarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ess | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -os | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;... |