Etymology

insanity

I1N1S1A1N1I1T1Y4

Today it means: The state of being insane; madness. Full definition →

Latin īnsānus
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The story

  1. Latin · derived fromsānitās“sound in mind; sane”
  2. Latin · derived fromīnsānus“unsound in mind; mad, insane”
  3. English todayinsanity

A three-part word (root 'sane', prefix 'in-' meaning 'not', suffix '-ity', meaning 'the state of'). Derived from Latin precursory equivalents. Two possible candidates for construction order: * insane + -ity: īnsānus (“unhealthy; insane”) + -itās *: Latin īnsānus (“unsound in mind; mad, insane”), from in- + sānus (“sound, sane”). Modern forms of roots: in- + sane * in- + sanity: in- (“lacking; without”) + sānitās (“health; sanity”) *: Latin sānitās (“sound in mind; sane”), from sānus + -itās. Modern forms of roots: sane + -ity

Words from the same roots

Latinīnsānus all →

insane

Latinsānitās all →

sanitarysanitySanitassanitate

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.