Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “permission” come from?

Permission comes from Middle French permission, derived from Latin permissio (a noun formed with the suffix -tio from per, meaning "through," combined with a root from Proto-Indo-European per- and mey-.

permission (English): authorisation; consent; The act of permitting;...

Definitions

  1. authorisation; consent; The act of permitting;...

Ancestry of “permission”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchpermission—
2Latinpermissioyielding, ceding; surrender; leave, permission
3Latin-tiō—
4Latindissertātiō—
5Latindissertusarranged, disposed; explained
6Latindissereresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
7Latindis-asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;...
8Latincalceusshoe
9Latincalxlimestone; chalk; the finish line
10Ancient Greekχάλιξsmall stone, pebble; gravel, rubble

Words derived from “permission”

  • permissionless
Every word from Ancient Greek χάλιξ →