Where does “suspense” come from?
suspense (Middle English) comes from Old French suspens, from Latin suspensus, from Latin suspendo, from Latin pendēre, from Latin pendō, from Proto-Italic pendō, from Proto-Indo-European (s)péndeti, from Proto-Indo-European (s)pend- — to stretch.
Ancestry of “suspense”, step by step
suspense traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French suspens
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | suspens | postponement; suspension |
| 2 | Latin | suspensus | suspended; anxious; in suspense |
| 3 | Latin | suspendo | I hang up or suspend |
| 4 | Latin | pendēre | — |
| 5 | Latin | pendō | to weigh, weigh out |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | pendō | hang, put in a hanging position |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)péndeti | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pend- | to stretch |
via Anglo-Norman suspens
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anglo-Norman | suspens | postponement; suspension |