Where does “release” come from?
Release comes from Old French lesser, from Latin re- (again) plus a root meaning to loosen, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European lewH-.
release (English): The event of setting free; The distribution of...
Definitions
- The event of setting free; The distribution of...
Ancestry of “release”, step by step
release traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English reles
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | reles | scent, taste, aftertaste |
| 2 | Old French | relais | — |
| 3 | Old French | reles | something remaining, that which is left behind |
| 4 | Old French | relaisser | Alternative form of relaschier; to leave behind |
| 5 | Latin | relaxāre | — |
| 6 | Latin | rĕ- | back, backwards |
| 7 | Latin | prōdūcō | to lead or bring forth, forward or out |
| 8 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via English lease
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | lease | To gather; To pick, select, pick out; to pick up;... |
| 2 | English | leash | A strap, cord or rope with which to restrain an... |
| 3 | Middle English | leesshe | — |
| 4 | Middle English | lees | — |
| 5 | Old French | lesse | — |
| 6 | Latin | laxa | second-person singular present active imperative... |
| 7 | Latin | laxo | I extend, expand; I open, make wide; I undo,... |
| 8 | Latin | laxus | wide, spacious, roomy; yielding; loose, slack,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)lēg- | to let go; weak, feeble; loose; dissolute, lewd;... |