Where does “surprise” come from?
surprise (French) comes from French surpris, from French surprendre, from Middle French surprendre, from Old French sorprendre, from Old French sur-, from Latin super-, from Latin super, from Latin eks-uper.
surprise (French): feminine singular of the past participle of...
Definitions
- feminine singular of the past participle of...
Ancestry of “surprise”, step by step
surprise traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French surpris
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | surpris | surprised; past participle of surprendre;... |
| 2 | French | surprendre | to surprise; to catch out |
| 3 | Middle French | surprendre | to surprise; to take over; to seize |
| 4 | Old French | sorprendre | to surprise; to seize; to take control of; to... |
| 5 | Old French | sur- | over, on top of |
| 6 | Latin | super- | super-; over, above |
| 7 | Latin | super | "accusative" above, on the top of, upon;... |
| 8 | Latin | eks-uper | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | upéri | alternative reconstruction of *upér |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | upér | above; over |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | upó | under, below |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ewp- | — |
via Old French surprendre
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | surprendre | to overtake |