Where does “zealous” come from?
Zealous comes from Ancient Greek ζῆλος, a noun denoting eager rivalry or passionate emulation that evolved into the verb ζηλόω meaning to rival or imitate zealously.
zealous (English): Full of zeal; ardent, fervent; exhibiting...
Definitions
- Full of zeal; ardent, fervent; exhibiting...
Ancestry of “zealous”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ancient Greek | ζῆλος | eager rivalry, zealous imitation, emulation, a... |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | ζηλόω | I emulate; I am jealous |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | -όω | Added to a noun or adjective to make a verb with... |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | -oyéti | Creates factitive verbs from adjectives |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 7 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |