manumission

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*meyth₂-“to release; to send; etc.”
2. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*(s)meh₂-“to beckon, signal”
3. Latin · derived frommanūmissiō“emancipation of a slave, manumission”
4. Middle French · derived frommanumission
5. Anglo-Norman · derived frommanumission
6. Middle English · inherited frommanumissioun“(uncountable) release by a feudal superior or slaveowner from servitude, freedom from servitude; (countable) an instance of this; document granting such freedom; (figurative) Jesus’s redemption of humankind”
7. English todaymanumission

From Late Middle English manumissioun (“(uncountable) release by a feudal superior or slaveowner from servitude, freedom from servitude; (countable) an instance of this; document granting such freedom; (figurative) Jesus’s redemption of humankind”), from Anglo-Norman manumission and Middle French manumission, and from their etymon Latin manūmissiō (“emancipation of a slave, manumission”), from manūmiss- (the perfect passive participle stem of manūmittō (“to emancipate, free, release”)) + -iō (suffix forming abstract nouns from verbs). Manūmittō is derived from manū (the ablative singular of manus (“hand”); further etymology uncertain, possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)meh₂- (“to beckon, signal”)) + mittō (“to discharge, release; to send”) (probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂- (“to release; to send; etc.”)).

Words from the same roots