Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “renegade” come from?

Renegade comes from Spanish renegado, derived from Latin renegatus, the past participle of renego, which combines Latin nego (to deny) with the negation prefix ne, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ne.

renegade (English): An outlaw or rebel; A disloyal person who betrays...

Definitions

  1. An outlaw or rebel; A disloyal person who betrays...

Ancestry of “renegade”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Spanishrenegadorenegade
2Latinrenegātus—
3Latinrenegō—
4Latinnegō—
5Latinnecnor; and not, not; neither
6Latinnequenot; and not, also not
7Proto-Indo-Europeannekʷeand not, neither, nor
8Proto-Indo-Europeannenot

Words derived from “renegade”

  • runagate
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ne →