Where does “spite” come from?
spite (Esperanto) comes from English spite, from Middle English spit, from Middle English despit, from Old French despit, from Latin dēspectus, from Latin dēspiciō, from Latin dē-, from Latin dē — afterwards, post; by, at.
spite (Esperanto): in spite of; defiantly
Ancestry of “spite”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | spite | Ill will or hatred toward another, accompanied... |
| 2 | Middle English | spit | — |
| 3 | Middle English | despit | — |
| 4 | Old French | despit | — |
| 5 | Latin | dēspectus | — |
| 6 | Latin | dēspiciō | — |
| 7 | Latin | dē- | — |
| 8 | Latin | dē | — |
| 9 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 10 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 11 | Proto-Italic | posti | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | — |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |