Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “usurp” come from?

Usurp derives from Middle English usurpen, from Old French usurper, from Latin usurpare meaning to seize or use wrongfully, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to seize and take.

usurp (English): To seize power from another, usually by...

Definitions

  1. To seize power from another, usually by...

Ancestry of “usurp”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchusurperto usurp
2Germanusurpierento usurp
3Spanishusurparto usurp
4Portugueseusurparto usurp
5Italianusurpareto usurp, to take over
6Latinūsurpō—
7Latinūsus—
8Latinūtor—
9Proto-Slavic*ǫtorъ—
10Proto-Slavictorъ—
11Proto-Slavictertito rub, to scrape; to polish
12Proto-Indo-Europeanterh₁-to rub, turn; to drill, pierce

Words derived from “usurp”

  • usurpeth
  • usurpable
  • uzurpi
  • uzurpar
  • uzurpero
Every word from Proto-Indo-European terh₁- →