Where does “ornamental hermit” come from?
ornamental hermit (English) comes from English hermit, from Middle English hermite, from Old French eremite, from Latin erēmīta, from Ancient Greek ἐρημίτης, from Ancient Greek ἐρημία, from Ancient Greek -ίτης, from Ancient Greek πολῑ́της — Creates verbal adjectives from verb stems.
ornamental hermit (English): A person hired to live in a specially built, rustic hermitage on an estate; hired in the 18th and early 19th centuries by wealthy landowners with strict conditions often requiring them to live in solitude, not groom themselves, and dress in a wild, often druidic, fashion; regularly cared for, consul
Definitions
- A person hired to live in a specially built, rustic hermitage on an estate; hired in the 18th and early 19th centuries by wealthy landowners with strict conditions often requiring them to live in solitude, not groom themselves, and dress in a wild, often druidic, fashion; regularly cared for, consul
Ancestry of “ornamental hermit”, step by step
ornamental hermit traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English hermit
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hermit | A religious recluse; someone who lives alone for... |
| 2 | Middle English | hermite | — |
| 3 | Old French | eremite | hermit |
| 4 | Latin | erēmīta | hermit, eremite |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ἐρημίτης | person of the desert |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ἐρημία | desert, desolate/uninhabited area,wilderness;... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | -ίτης | Suffix forming a masculine noun: one connected... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | πολῑ́της | citizen |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | -της | Forms nouns representing a state of being; Added... |
| 10 | Proto-Hellenic | -tāts | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ts | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | -tós | Creates verbal adjectives from verb stems |
via English ornamental
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ornamental | Serving as an ornament; having no purpose other... |
| 2 | English | ornament | An element of decoration; that which embellishes... |
| 3 | Middle English | ornament | — |
| 4 | Old French | ornement | ornament |
| 5 | Latin | ornāmentum | equipment, apparatus, furniture |
| 6 | Latin | ornō | to furnish, equip, outfit, prepare |
| 7 | Latin | ōrdnō | — |
| 8 | Latin | ōrdō | a methodical series, arrangement, or order; regular line, row, or series |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | ored(h)- | to arrange |