demur

demur · verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*(s)mer-“to fall into thinking; to remember”
2. Latin · derived fromdēmoror“to delay, detain; to linger, tarry”
3. Latin · derived fromdēmorārī
4. Vulgar Latin · derived fromdēmorāre
5. Old French · derived fromdemorer
6. Anglo-Norman · derived fromdemorer
7. Middle English · inherited fromdemuren“to delay; to linger; to remain (in office); to keep, retain (?)”
8. English todaydemur

From Middle English demuren (“to delay; to linger; to remain (in office); to keep, retain (?)”), from Anglo-Norman demorer and Old French demorer, demourer (“to remain, stay”) (modern French demeurer), from Vulgar Latin dēmorāre, from Latin dēmorārī, the present active infinitive of Latin dēmoror (“to delay, detain; to linger, tarry”), from de- (intensifying prefix) + moror (“to delay, detain; to hinder, impede; to linger, loiter”) (from mora (“a delay; hindrance, obstacle”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mer- (“to fall into thinking; to remember”), probably referring to a time for thinking) + -or (variant of -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)).

demur · noun²

1. Old French · derived fromdemorer
2. Old French · derived fromdemure
3. Middle English · inherited fromdemure
4. English todaydemur

From Middle English demure, demore (“a delay, demur; a sojourn, stay”), from Old French demure, demore, demuere (“a delay, demur”) (modern French demeure), from Old French demorer, demourer (verb): see etymology 1.

Words from the same roots