Where does “simplicity” come from?
Simplicity comes from Middle English simplicite, from Old French simplicite, from Latin simplicitas, derived from Latin simplex, combining Latin plico and ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European pleḱ- and sem-.
simplicity (English): The state or quality of being simple; An act or...
Definitions
- The state or quality of being simple; An act or...
Ancestry of “simplicity”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | simplicite | The nature of being made of one part or being... |
| 2 | Old French | simplicite | — |
| 3 | Latin | simplicitās | simplicity |
| 4 | Latin | simplex | single; simple, plain, uncompounded; pure,... |
| 5 | Latin | -plex | -fold |
| 6 | Latin | plicō | to fold, bend or flex; to roll up |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pleḱ- | to fold, plait, weave |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pel- | to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold |