Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “reject” come from?

Reject derives from Middle English rejecten, from Latin reiectus, the past participle of reicio meaning to throw back, formed from the prefix re- and a root from Proto-Italic wre ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European wer-.

reject (English): To refuse to accept; To block a shot, especially...

Definitions

  1. To refuse to accept; To block a shot, especially...

Ancestry of “reject”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishrejecten—
2Latinrēiectus—
3Latinrēiciō—
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 “reject”

  • rejecteth
  • rejecter
  • rejectable
  • rejector
  • rejective
  • rejectest
  • rejectee
  • rejectment
  • irrejectable
  • unreject
  • リジェクト
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →