Where does “self-defense” come from?
self-defense (English) comes from English defense, from Middle English defens, from Old French defens, from Late Latin defensa, from Latin defensus, from Latin dēfendō, from Latin dē-, from Latin dē — afterwards, post; by, at.
self-defense (English): The means of defending oneself from physical...
Definitions
- The means of defending oneself from physical...
Ancestry of “self-defense”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | defense | The action of defending or protecting from... |
| 2 | Middle English | defens | the act of defending |
| 3 | Old French | defens | — |
| 4 | Late Latin | defensa | protection; bounded, defended; defence |
| 5 | Latin | defensus | driven away, having been driven away; defended,... |
| 6 | Latin | dēfendō | — |
| 7 | Latin | dē- | — |
| 8 | Latin | dē | — |
| 9 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 10 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 11 | Proto-Italic | posti | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | — |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |