Etymology

diffability

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Today it means: A psychological condition, such as Asperger's syndrome, viewed as a natural neurological variation rather than a disability or disorder. Full definition →

English ability ← Middle English different ← Old French different
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*dwóh₁
  2. Proto-Indo-European*trísinflu.
  3. Proto-Indo-European*d(w)is-
  4. Proto-Italic*dis-
  5. Latindis-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*bʰer-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*bʰéreti
  8. Proto-Italic*ferō
  9. Latinferō
  10. Latindifferō
  11. Latindifferēns
  12. Old Frenchdifferent
  13. Middle Englishdifferent
  14. Englishdifferent
  15. Englishability
  16. English todaydiffability

Blend of different + ability, as a play on disability intended to remove the term's negative connotations.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.