Where does “underminable” come from?
underminable (English) comes from English undermine, from English Mine, from French mine, from Breton min, from Italian mina, from Latin mina, from Gaulish mēnā, from Proto-Celtic *meinis — to cut, hew.
underminable (English): Susceptible to being undermined
Definitions
- Susceptible to being undermined
Ancestry of “underminable”, step by step
underminable traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English undermine
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | undermine | To dig underneath (something), to make a passage for destructive or military purposes; to sap |
| 2 | English | Mine | Alternative letter-case form of mine "often used... |
| 3 | French | mine | mine; pencil lead; piledriver, scorcher |
| 4 | Breton | min | face of an animal; beak, muzzle |
| 5 | Italian | mina | mine, land mine; lead in pencils; mine which... |
| 6 | Latin | mina | A Greek weight equal to 100 drachmas; A Greek... |
| 7 | Gaulish | mēnā | ore, mine |
| 8 | Proto-Celtic | *meinis | ore, metal |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | mēy(H)nis | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)mēy(H)- | to cut, hew |
via English able
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | able | Easy to use; Suitable; competent; Liable to |
| 2 | Middle English | able | capable, expert, qualified, skilful, competent |
| 3 | Old French | able | able; capable |
| 4 | Latin | habilis | able to have/possess/maintain; having sufficient... |
| 5 | Latin | -ilis | -ile |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -elis | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -elis | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |