Where does “understater” come from?
understater (English) comes from English understate, from English State, from Middle English stat, from Old French estat, from Latin stātus, from Latin stō, from Proto-Italic staēō, from Proto-Indo-European sth₂éh₁yeti.
understater (English): A person who understates
Ancestry of “understater”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | understate | To state with less completeness than needed; to... |
| 2 | English | State | A current governing polity; The current governing... |
| 3 | Middle English | stat | — |
| 4 | Old French | estat | state; government; condition |
| 5 | Latin | stātus | — |
| 6 | Latin | stō | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | staēō | stand |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sth₂éh₁yeti | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | *steh₂- | — |