Where does “distance” come from?
distance (Middle French) comes from Old French destance, from Latin distantia, from Latin distāns, from Latin distō, from Latin dis-, from Latin calceus, from Latin calx, from Ancient Greek χάλιξ — small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble.
Ancestry of “distance”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | destance | — |
| 2 | Latin | distantia | distance, remoteness; difference, diversity;... |
| 3 | Latin | distāns | standing apart |
| 4 | Latin | distō | to stand apart; to be distant |
| 5 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 6 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 7 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |