Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “paradox” come from?

Paradox comes from Middle French paradoxe, from Latin paradoxum, from Ancient Greek παράδοξος, combining παρά with δόξα meaning "opinion," ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European root deḱ-.

paradox (English): An apparently self-contradictory statement, which...

Definitions

  1. An apparently self-contradictory statement, which...

Ancestry of “paradox”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchparadoxe—
2Latinparadoxumparadox
3Ancient Greekπαράδοξοςcontrary to expectation, strange, incredible
4Ancient Greekπαρά
5Latinverēdus—
6Gaulishwerēdoshorse
7Proto-Celtic*uɸoreidos—

Words derived from “paradox”

  • paradoxical
  • paradoxically
  • paradoxicality
  • paradoxal
  • paradoxism
  • paradoxer
  • paradoxist
  • nonparadoxical
  • paradoxography
  • unparadoxical
  • paradoxographical
  • paradoxicalness
  • paradoxology
  • unparadoxically
  • paradoxally
  • semiparadoxical
  • nonparadox
Every word from Proto-Celtic *uɸoreidos →