Where does “specious” come from?
Specious derives from Latin speciosus, formed from Latin specio and the suffix Latin -osus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European speḱ-, meaning to observe or look.
specious (English): Seemingly well-reasoned, plausible or true, but...
Definitions
- Seemingly well-reasoned, plausible or true, but...
Ancestry of “specious”, step by step
specious traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Species
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Species | A type or kind. Compare |
| 2 | Latin | speciēs | seeing, view, look |
| 3 | Latin | speciō | to observe, watch, look at |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | spekjō | to observe, to see |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | spéḱyeti | to be looking at, to keep looking at |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | speḱ- | to see, to look, to observe |
via Middle English speciose
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | speciose | — |