Where does “libel” come from?
libel (Middle English) comes from Old French libelle, from Latin libellus, from Latin Līber, from Old Latin loeber, from French lober, from French lob, from English lob, from English long — small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble.
libel (Middle English): Any short and formal written text
Definitions
- Any short and formal written text
Ancestry of “libel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | libelle | — |
| 2 | Latin | libellus | a little book, booklet, pamphlet; a billet,... |
| 3 | Latin | Līber | — |
| 4 | Old Latin | loeber | — |
| 5 | French | lober | to lob |
| 6 | French | lob | lob |
| 7 | English | lob | To throw or hit a ball into the air in a high... |
| 8 | English | long | Having much distance from one terminating point... |
| 9 | English | longitude | Angular distance measured west or east of the... |
| 10 | Old French | longitude | — |
| 11 | Latin | longitūdō | length, longitude; longness |
| 12 | Latin | longus | far, long; extended, prolonged; long; tedious,... |
| 13 | Latin | -ē | ly; used to form adverbs from adjectives |
| 14 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 15 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 16 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 17 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |