Where does “imbecyl” come from?

imbecyl (Polish) comes from German imbezil, from French imbécile, from Latin imbēcillus, from Latin Bacillus, from Latin -illus, from Latin -lus, from Proto-Italic -elos, from Proto-Indo-European -e-lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.

imbecyl (Polish): imbecile

Definitions

  1. imbecile

Ancestry of “imbecyl”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanimbezilimbecilic
2Frenchimbécilestupid, foolish, acting like an imbecile;...
3Latinimbēcillusweak, feeble
4LatinBacillus
5Latin-illusUsed to form adjectives from nouns
6Latin-lusAlternative form of -ulus; diminutive suffix
7Proto-Italic-elosForms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns
8Proto-Indo-European-e-lós
9Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lósEvery word from Latin -lusEvery word from Latin -illus
imbecyl — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer