Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “priest-ridden” come from?

priest-ridden (English) comes from English -ridden, from English bedridden, from Middle English bedredyn, from Old English bedreda, from Old English bed, from Old English bedd, from Proto-West Germanic badi, from Persian بدی.

priest-ridden (English): Dominated or plagued by priests

Definitions

  1. Dominated or plagued by priests

Ancestry of “priest-ridden”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-riddenFiguratively construed as "repeatedly subject to"...
2EnglishbedriddenConfined to bed because of infirmity or illness
3Middle Englishbedredyn—
4Old EnglishbedredaAlternative form of beddrida; bedridden
5Old EnglishbedAlternative form of bedd; bed; prayer,...
6Old Englishbeddbed
7Proto-West Germanicbadibed
8Persianبدی—
9Persianبدbad; not good; evil; poorly, badly
10Middle Persian𐭯𐭥𐭭to; at; in
11Proto-Iranianpati-against, toward; lord
12Proto-Iranian*rādi-—
13Proto-Iranian*rād-—
14Proto-Indo-IranianHraHdʰ-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-Iranian HraHdʰ- →