Where does “repel” come from?
Repel comes from Middle English repellen, from Old French repeller, from Latin repellere, composed of the prefix re- and the root pelh₂- meaning to thrust or drive.
repel (English): To turn away from a privilege, right, job, etc;...
Definitions
- To turn away from a privilege, right, job, etc;...
Ancestry of “repel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Catalan | re- | re-; Intensifier for adjectives and adverbs;... |
| 2 | Latin | rĕ- | — |
| 3 | Latin | prōdūcō | — |
| 4 | Latin | prō- | — |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
Words derived from “repel”