Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “decayen” come from?

decayen (Middle English) comes from Anglo-Norman decaeir, from Medieval Latin decadere, from Latin decido, from Latin cado, from Proto-Italic kadō, from Proto-Indo-European ḱad- — to fall.

Ancestry of “decayen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Anglo-Normandecaeirto fall away, decay, decline
2Medieval Latindecadere—
3LatindecidoI fall down or off; collapse; drop, hang down; I...
4LatincadoI fall, I fall out; I die; I cease
5Proto-Italickadōfall, sink
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱad-to fall

Words derived from “decayen”

  • decay
  • decaying
  • undecaying
  • decayeth
  • decayer
  • nondecaying
  • decayless
  • decayable
  • predecay
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱad- →