Where does “poison” come from?
Poison comes from Middle English poisoun, from Old French poison, from Latin potio meaning a drink, derived from potare meaning to drink, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European peh₃- meaning to drink.
poison (English): A substance that is harmful or lethal to a living...
Definitions
- A substance that is harmful or lethal to a living...
Ancestry of “poison”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | poysoun | A poison; a poisonous substance especially as a drink |
| 2 | Old French | poison | poison; potion |
| 3 | Latin | pōtiō | drinking |
| 4 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 5 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 6 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 7 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 8 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 9 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 10 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 11 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |