Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “repeal” come from?

Repeal comes from Old French repeler, from Old French rapeler, from Latin repello meaning to drive back, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ád meaning toward.

repeal (English): To cancel, invalidate, annul; To recall; to...

Definitions

  1. To cancel, invalidate, annul; To recall; to...

Ancestry of “repeal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Anglo-NormanrepelerAlternative form of rapeler
2Old Frenchrapelerto remember; to recall; to call back, to recall;...
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 “repeal”

  • irrepealable
  • repealer
  • repealable
  • unrepealable
  • irrepealability
  • repealability
  • repealment
  • irrepealably
  • repealableness
  • repealeth
  • repealest
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →