Where does “just enough” come from?
just enough (English) comes from English just, from Middle English juste, from Old French juste, from Latin iūstus, from Latin iūs, from Latin dīcō, from Latin -tiō, from Latin dissertātiō — small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble.
just enough (English): The minimum amount necessary for something
Definitions
- The minimum amount necessary for something
Ancestry of “just enough”, step by step
just enough traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English just
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | just | Factually right, correct; factual; Rationally... |
| 2 | Middle English | juste | just |
| 3 | Old French | juste | — |
| 4 | Latin | iūstus | just, righteous |
| 5 | Latin | iūs | law, right |
| 6 | Latin | dīcō | to say, talk, speak, utter, mention |
| 7 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 8 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 9 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 10 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 11 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 12 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 13 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 14 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |
via English enough
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | enough | Sufficient; all that is required, needed, or... |
| 2 | Middle English | ynogh | enough |
| 3 | Old English | ġenōg | enough |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *ganōg | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | ganōgaz | enough, sufficient |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eh₂nóḱe | to have reached, to be at |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂neḱ- | to reach, to attain |