Where does “savage” come from?
savage (Middle English) comes from Old French sauvage, from Vulgar Latin salvaticus, from Latin silvāticus, from Latin -aticus, from Latin -ātus, from Proto-Italic -ātos, from Proto-Indo-European -éh₂tos — Forms adjectives from nouns, indicating the possession of a thing or a quality.
savage (Middle English): savage, barbaric, unmannered, primitive; wild,...
Definitions
- savage, barbaric, unmannered, primitive; wild,...
Ancestry of “savage”, step by step
savage traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French sauvage
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | sauvage | wild; untamed |
| 2 | Vulgar Latin | salvaticus | — |
| 3 | Latin | silvāticus | of the woods, sylvan |
| 4 | Latin | -aticus | Used to form adjectives indicating a relation to... |
| 5 | Latin | -ātus | ed |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -ātos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -éh₂tos | Forms adjectives from nouns, indicating the possession of a thing or a quality |
via Old French savage
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | savage | — |