Where does “leprous” come from?
Leprous comes from Old French leprous, derived from Latin leprosus, formed with the Latin suffix -osus from Ancient Greek λέπρα meaning leprosy, which derives from λεπίς meaning scale, ultimately from λέπω meaning to peel.
leprous (English): Relating to or infected with one of the diseases...
Definitions
- Relating to or infected with one of the diseases...
Ancestry of “leprous”, step by step
leprous traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French leprous
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | leprous | leprous; having leprosy; a leper |
| 2 | Latin | leprosus | leprous |
| 3 | Latin | lēpra | psoriasis, similar skin disorders |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | λέπρα | leprosy |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | λεπρός | scaly, scabby, rough; leprous, mangy |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | λεπίς | scale, flake, shell, husk; epithelial debris;... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | λέπω | peel, strip off the rind or husk |