Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “tortfeasance” come from?

tortfeasance (English) comes from Anglo-Norman tortfesance, from Old French tort, from Latin tortum, from Latin tortus, from Latin -tus, from Proto-Italic -tus, from Proto-Indo-European -tus — Derives action nouns from verb roots.

tortfeasance (English): The condition, or an act, of doing wrong; the act...

Definitions

  1. The condition, or an act, of doing wrong; the act...

Ancestry of “tortfeasance”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Anglo-Normantortfesance—
2Old Frenchtortwrong; misdeed
3Latintortumnominative neuter singular of tortus; accusative...
4Latintortustwisted, crooked; spun, whirled; bent, distorted
5Latin-tusForms the past participle of verbs; Forms...
6Proto-Italic-tus—
7Proto-Indo-European-tusDerives action nouns from verb roots
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tus →