Where does “tribulation” come from?
Tribulation comes from Middle English tribulation, from Old French tribulacion, from Late Latin tribulatio, derived from the Latin verb terere meaning "to rub or wear away," ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root terh₁-.
tribulation (English): Any adversity; a trying period or event
Definitions
- Any adversity; a trying period or event
Ancestry of “tribulation”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | tribulation | — |
| 2 | Old French | tribulacion | problem; trouble; obstacle |
| 3 | Late Latin | tribulatio | distress, trouble, tribulation, affliction;... |
| 4 | Latin | tribulāre | — |
| 5 | Latin | trībulum | threshing board, threshing sledge |
| 6 | Latin | -bulum | |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -dʰlom | Alternative form of *-trom; instrumental suffix;... |