Where does “misdemeanor” come from?
I need to work through this etymology chain carefully, but I notice the chain provided seems problematic or unclear. Let me identify the issues:
1. The chain lists "Middle English mis-" as coming from Proto-Indo-European, which is incorrect
2. The chain has "Latin dis-" listed twice
3. The chain has "Latin ex" listed twice
4. "Latin ex" doesn't lead to "mis-" in English
This chain doesn't appear to trace "misdemeanor" accurately. The actual etymology would be:
- English "misdemeanor" = "mis-" (badly) + "demeanor" (conduct/bearing)
- "mis-" comes from Old English "mis-"
- "demeanor" comes from Old French "demener" meaning to conduct/behave
Given the instruction to "state only what the chain supports" and that the provided chain doesn't correctly support the etymology
misdemeanor (English): A crime usually punishable upon conviction by a...
Definitions
- A crime usually punishable upon conviction by a...
Ancestry of “misdemeanor”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | demeanor | The social, non-verbal behaviours that are... |
| 2 | Middle English | demenen | — |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | demener | to lead |
| 4 | Old French | demener | to lead |
| 5 | Old French | dé- | — |
| 6 | Latin | dē- | — |
| 7 | Latin | dē | — |
| 8 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 9 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | posti | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |