Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “violent” come from?

Violent comes from Middle English violent, from Old French violent, from Latin violentus, derived from Latin vis meaning force, which traces back through Latin viola and Latin cruentus to Proto-Indo-European roots weyh₁- and gʷelH-.

violent (English): Involving extreme force or motion; Involving...

Definitions

  1. Involving extreme force or motion; Involving...

Ancestry of “violent”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishviolentViolent, forcible, injury-causing; Potent,...
2Old Frenchviolentviolent
3Latinviolentusforcible, violent, vehement; impetuous;...
4Latin-entusadjective-forming suffix meaning abounding in,...
5Latincruentusbloody in its various senses, "particularly:"
6Latincruorblood, gore; murder, bloodshed
7Proto-Indo-Europeankrewh₂-blood outside the body

Words derived from “violent”

  • nonviolent
  • ultraviolent
  • hyperviolent
  • antiviolent
  • overviolent
  • superviolent
  • proviolent
  • non-violent
  • violentness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European krewh₂- →