Where does “return” come from?
Return comes from Middle English returnen, from Anglo-Norman returner, from Old French retorner, from Latin retornare, composed of the prefix re- meaning "back" and tornare meaning "to turn."
return (English): To come or go back; To go back in thought,...
Definitions
- To come or go back; To go back in thought,...
Ancestry of “return”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | returnen | to return |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | returner | Alternative form of retorner |
| 3 | Old French | retourner | Alternative form of retorner |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | retornare | to turn back |
| 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 |