Where does “effeminarsi” come from?
effeminarsi (Italian) comes from Italian effeminare, from Latin effēminō, from Latin fēmina, from Proto-Italic fēmanā, from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁-m̥n-eh₂, from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁(y)- — to suckle, nurse.
Ancestry of “effeminarsi”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | effeminare | to emasculate; to enfeeble, weaken |
| 2 | Latin | effēminō | to weaken or enervate |
| 3 | Latin | fēmina | woman |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | fēmanā | woman |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰeh₁-m̥n-eh₂ | who sucks; one who is sucked; one who suckles;... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰeh₁(y)- | to suckle, nurse |