Where does “supercilious” come from?
Supercilious comes from Latin superciliosus, formed from cilium meaning eyelid with the suffix -osus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱel-.
supercilious (English): Arrogantly superior; showing contemptuous...
Definitions
- Arrogantly superior; showing contemptuous...
Ancestry of “supercilious”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | superciliōsus | haughty; supercilious |
| 2 | Latin | supercilium | eyebrow; frown; arrogance |
| 3 | Latin | super- | super-; over, above |
| 4 | Latin | super | "accusative" above, on the top of, upon;... |
| 5 | Latin | eks-uper | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | upéri | alternative reconstruction of *upér |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | upér | above; over |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | upó | under, below |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ewp- | — |