Where does “politeful” come from?
politeful (English) comes from English polite, from Latin polītus, from Latin poliō — to polish, to smooth.
Ancestry of “politeful”, step by step
politeful traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English polite
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | polite | Well-mannered, civilized; Smooth, polished,... |
| 2 | Latin | polītus | polished |
| 3 | Latin | poliō | to polish, to smooth |
via English ful
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ful | — |