Where does “scapegrace” come from?
scapegrace (English) comes from English scape, from Middle English scapen, from Middle English escapen, from Old French escaper, from Vulgar Latin excappare, from Latin -āre, from Proto-Italic -āō, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti — he, she.
scapegrace (English): A wild and reckless person (especially a boy); a scoundrel
Definitions
- A wild and reckless person (especially a boy); a scoundrel
Ancestry of “scapegrace”, step by step
scapegrace traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English scape
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | scape | A leafless stalk growing directly out of a root;... |
| 2 | Middle English | scapen | — |
| 3 | Middle English | escapen | — |
| 4 | Old French | escaper | Alternative form of eschaper |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | excappare | present active infinitive of *excappō;... |
| 6 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English Grace
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Grace | pleasing qualities |
| 2 | Middle English | grace | Various theological meanings, usually as an... |
| 3 | Old French | grace | grace; favor; grace; gracefulness; elegance |
| 4 | Latin | grātia | grace |
| 5 | Latin | -ia | Used to form a feminine abstract noun, usually... |
| 6 | Latin | -ius | forming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -jōs | Forms comparative adjectives |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -yós | Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems |