Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “dolorous” come from?

dolorous (Middle English) comes from Old French dolerous, from Late Latin dolorosus, from Latin dolor, from Latin -or, from Proto-Italic -ōs, from Proto-Indo-European -ōs, from Proto-Indo-European -oss, from Proto-Indo-European -os — Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...

Ancestry of “dolorous”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchdolerouspainful
2Late Latindolorosuspainful; painful; sorrowful; painful; full of...
3Latindolorpain, ache, hurt; anguish, grief, sorrow;...
4Latin-orused to form a third-declension masculine...
5Proto-Italic-ōsCreates masculine action nouns or result nouns...
6Proto-Indo-European-ōsCreates masculine and feminine action nouns or...
7Proto-Indo-European-oss—
8Proto-Indo-European-osCreates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...

Words derived from “dolorous”

  • dolorous
  • dolorously
  • dolorousness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -os →