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
repel traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English repellen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | repellen | — |
| 2 | Old French | repeller | — |
| 3 | Latin | repellere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 4 | Latin | repello | I drive, push or thrust back or away; reject,... |
| 5 | Latin | re- | back, backwards; again; prefix added to various... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wret- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wert- | to turn, to rotate |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |