Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “irreligion” come from?

Irreligion comes from French irréligion, formed from the French prefix in- (from Latin in-) negating Latin lēx meaning law or binding obligation.

irreligion (English): The state of being irreligious; irreligious...

Definitions

  1. The state of being irreligious; irreligious...

Ancestry of “irreligion”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchirréligionirreligion, irreligiousness
2Frenchreligionreligion
3Middle Frenchreligionreligion
4Old Frenchreligionreligion
5Latinreligiō—
6Latinreligō—
7Latinrĕ-—
8Latinprōdūcō—
9Latinprō-—
10Proto-Italic*pro-—
11Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
12Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
13Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
14Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →