Where does “semifacetious” come from?
semifacetious (English) comes from English facetious, from French facétieux, from Latin facētia, from Latin -ia, from Latin -ius, from Proto-Italic -jōs, from Proto-Indo-European -yós — Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems.
semifacetious (English): Half or partly facetious; half in jest
Definitions
- Half or partly facetious; half in jest
Ancestry of “semifacetious”, step by step
semifacetious traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English facetious
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | facetious | Treating serious issues with inappropriate... |
| 2 | French | facétieux | facetious |
| 3 | Latin | facētia | jest, wit, humour |
| 4 | Latin | -ia | Used to form a feminine abstract noun, usually... |
| 5 | Latin | -ius | forming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -jōs | Forms comparative adjectives |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -yós | Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems |