Where does “ruinous” come from?
Ruinous comes from Middle English ruynous, from Old French ruineus, from Latin ruinosus, an adjective formed with the suffix -osus meaning "full of" or "characterized by," derived from the verb ruo meaning "to fall or collapse," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₃rew-.
ruinous (English): Causing ruin; destructive, calamitous; Extremely...
Definitions
- Causing ruin; destructive, calamitous; Extremely...
Ancestry of “ruinous”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | ruynous | Ruined; showing signs of deterioration or... |
| 2 | Old French | ruineus | — |
| 3 | Latin | ruinosus | ruined, tumbledown; ruinous |
| 4 | Latin | ruīna | a falling down, collapse, ruin, destruction |
| 5 | Latin | ruō | to hurry, rush, hasten, move quickly |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃rew- | to run, to hurry |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -w- | — |