Where does “remorse” come from?
Remorse comes from Middle English remors, from Old French remors, from Old French remordre meaning to bite again.
remorse (English): A feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or...
Definitions
- A feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or...
Ancestry of “remorse”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | remors | remorse |
| 2 | Old French | remors | remorse |
| 3 | Latin | remorsus | a biting in return |
| 4 | Latin | remordeō | to bite back or again |
| 5 | Latin | rĕ- | back, backwards |
| 6 | Latin | prōdūcō | to lead or bring forth, forward or out |
| 7 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |