Etymology

dement

D2E1M3E1N1T1

Today it means: Demented. Full definition →

First used 15th c.Vulgar Latin dēmentō ← Latin dēmēns ← Proto-Italic *mentis
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*de
  2. Proto-Indo-European*déh₁
  3. Proto-Italic*dē
  4. Latindē
  5. Latindē-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*men-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*méntis
  8. Proto-Italic*mentis
  9. Latinmēns
  10. Latindēmēns
  11. Vulgar Latindēmentō
  12. English todaydement

Borrowed from Middle French dement, from Latin demens; verb from Vulgar Latin dementare (“to deceive; to drive mad”), also from Latin dēmēns (“demented, mad”).

First known use, by meaning

  • from 15th c. Demented.
  • from 16th c. To make (someone) demented; to drive mad.
  • from 19th c. To show signs of dementia; to develop dementia.
  • from 19th c. Someone afflicted with dementia.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.