Where does “rot” come from?
Rot comes from Middle English roten, formed with the Middle English suffix -en from Latin rupta, the feminine past participle of a verb meaning to break.
rot (English): To suffer decomposition due to biological action,...
Definitions
- To suffer decomposition due to biological action,...
Ancestry of “rot”, step by step
rot traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English roten
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | roten | To decompose; to make or become rotten or spoiled |
| 2 | Middle English | rote | The root; The foundation or base of a... |
| 3 | Old French | rote | route, path |
| 4 | Latin | rupta | nominative feminine singular of ruptus;... |
| 5 | Latin | ruptus | broken; ruptured, burst |
| 6 | Latin | rumpō | to break, burst, tear, rend, rupture; break asunder, force open |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | Hrunépti | to be breaking |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | Hrewp- | to break, tear |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | Hrew- | to tear out, dig out, open, acquire |
via English rotate
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | rotate | To spin, turn, or revolve; To advance through a... |
| 2 | Latin | rotātus | revolved |
| 3 | Latin | rotō | to turn, trend, wheel, roll, swing about, whirl, rotate; brandish |
| 4 | Latin | Rota | an ecclesiastical appellate court in the Catholic... |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | rotā | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | Hróth₂-eh₂ | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | Hreth₂- | to run |