Where does “treasonous” come from?
Treasonous derives from Middle English treason combined with the suffix -ous, from Latin traditio meaning "a handing over or betrayal" and the adjectival suffix -osus, ultimately from Latin do meaning "to give."
treasonous (English): Like or in the way of treason
Definitions
- Like or in the way of treason
Ancestry of “treasonous”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | treason | The crime of betraying one’s own country; An act... |
| 2 | Middle English | tresoun | Betrayal; aiding one's enemies or rivals;... |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman French | treson | — |
| 4 | Old French | traïson | Alternative form of traison |
| 5 | Latin | trāditiō | a surrender, delivering up |
| 6 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 7 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 8 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 9 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 10 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 11 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 12 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 13 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |