diaeresis

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*ser-“to grasp, seize, take”
2. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*dwís“doubly, twice; in two”
3. Ancient Greek · derived fromδῐαίρεσῐς“distribution, division; division of a poetic line when the end of a word and a metrical foot coincide; division of a diphthong into two syllables”
4. Late Latin · borrowed fromdiaeresis“distribution; division of a diphthong into two syllables”
5. English todaydiaeresis

PIE word *dwís Unadapted borrowing from Late Latin diaeresis (“distribution; division of a diphthong into two syllables”), from Ancient Greek δῐαίρεσῐς (dĭaíresĭs, “distribution, division; division of a poetic line when the end of a word and a metrical foot coincide; division of a diphthong into two syllables”), from δῐαιρέω (dĭairéō, “to divide; to distinguish; to resolve a diphthong or contracted form”) + -σῐς (-sĭs, suffix forming abstract nouns or nouns of action, process, or result). Δῐαιρέω (Dĭairéō) is derived from δῐᾰ- (dĭă-, prefix meaning ‘across; through; in different directions’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dwís (“doubly, twice; in two”)) + αἱρέω (hairéō, “to grasp, seize, take”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“to grasp, seize, take”)).

Words from the same roots