Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “recant” come from?

Recant comes from Latin recantare, composed of the prefix re- and cantus, which derives from Ancient Greek κανθός meaning corner or angle.

recant (English): To withdraw or repudiate a statement or opinion...

Definitions

  1. To withdraw or repudiate a statement or opinion...

Ancestry of “recant”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishre-again, anew; a completive or intensification of...
2Middle Englishre-—
3Old Frenchre-re-
4Latinrĕ-—
5Latinprōdūcō—
6Latinprō-—
7Proto-Italic*pro-—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
10Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
11Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “recant”

  • recantation
  • recanter
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →