Where does “personality disorder” come from?

personality disorder (English) comes from English disorder, from Middle English disordeine, from Old French desordainer, from Medieval Latin disordinare.

personality disorder (English): Any of a class of mental disorders characterized by ongoing rigid patterns of thought and action

Definitions

  1. Any of a class of mental disorders characterized by ongoing rigid patterns of thought and action

Ancestry of “personality disorder”, step by step

personality disorder traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English disorder

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdisorderAbsence of order; state of not being arranged in...
2Middle Englishdisordeine—
3Old Frenchdesordainer—
4Medieval Latindisordinare—

via English personality

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpersonalityA set of non-physical psychological and social...
2Middle Englishpersonalite—
3Latinpersonalitas—
Every word from Medieval Latin disordinare →Every word from Old French desordainer →Every word from Middle English disordeine →