Where does “severest” come from?
Severest comes from English severe, from Latin severus, from Old French sevrer, from Latin separare meaning "to separate," derived from Latin parare meaning "to prepare."
severest (English): superlative form of severe: most severe;...
Definitions
- superlative form of severe: most severe;...
Ancestry of “severest”, step by step
severest traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English sever
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sever | To cut free; To suffer disjunction; to be parted... |
| 2 | Middle English | severen | — |
| 3 | Old French | sevrer | to separate; to sever |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | seperare | — |
| 5 | Latin | sēparāre | — |
via English severe
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | severe | Very bad or intense; Strict or harsh; Sober,... |
| 2 | Latin | Sevērus | severe, serious, strict, stern, stringent, austere, harsh, grave (in demeanor) |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | seɣwēros | severe |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | seǵʰwr̥ | overpowering |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | seǵʰ- | to hold; to overpower |