Where does “difference” come from?
difference (Middle English) comes from Old French difference, from Latin differentia, from Latin differēns, from Latin differre, from Latin differo, from Latin dis-, from Latin calceus, from Latin calx — small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble.
difference (Middle English): Difference; the state of being different; A...
Definitions
- Difference; the state of being different; A...
Ancestry of “difference”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | difference | difference |
| 2 | Latin | differentia | difference; diversity; nominative neuter plural... |
| 3 | Latin | differēns | spreading, scattering, dispersing, separating |
| 4 | Latin | differre | present active infinitive of differō |
| 5 | Latin | differo | I carry different ways, spread, scatter,... |
| 6 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 7 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 8 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |