Where does “teetotalist” come from?
teetotalist (English) comes from English teetotal, from English total, from Middle English total, from Old French total, from Medieval Latin totalis, from Latin tōtus, from Latin tot, from Proto-Indo-European toti — this; that.
teetotalist (English): A teetotaler
Definitions
- A teetotaler
Ancestry of “teetotalist”, step by step
teetotalist traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English teetotal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | teetotal | Abstinent from alcohol; never drinking alcohol;... |
| 2 | English | total | An amount obtained by the addition of smaller... |
| 3 | Middle English | total | — |
| 4 | Old French | total | — |
| 5 | Medieval Latin | totalis | total |
| 6 | Latin | tōtus | whole, all, entire, total, complete, every part |
| 7 | Latin | tot | so many |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | toti | so many |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | só | this; that |
via English ist
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ist | A practitioner or supporter of an ism |
| 2 | English | -ist | Added to words to form nouns denoting |
| 3 | Old French | -iste | — |
| 4 | Latin | -ista | -ist; one who practises or believes |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -ιστής | Alternative form of -τής; -ist |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -τής | Appended to verbs to form agent nouns |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | -tās | — |