Where does “asylum” come from?
asylum (Latin) comes from Ancient Greek ἄσυλον, from Ancient Greek ἄσυλος, from Ancient Greek ἀ-, from Proto-Hellenic hə-, from Proto-Indo-European sm̥-, from Proto-Indo-European sem- — together, one.
Ancestry of “asylum”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Ancient Greek | ἄσυλον | sanctuary |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | ἄσυλος | safe from violence, inviolate |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ἀ- | The alpha privativum, used to make words that... |
| 4 | Proto-Hellenic | hə- | same; together |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | sm̥- | one; with, together |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sem- | together, one |