scorn

The story

1. Old French · derived fromescarn
2. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*(s)ḱerd-
3. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*(s)ker-“to cut”
4. Proto-Germanic · derived from*skeraną“to shear”
5. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*skarnijan
6. Vulgar Latin · derived from*escarnire
7. Old French · derived fromescharnir
8. Middle English · derived fromscornen
9. English todayscorn

Verb from Middle English scornen, schornen, alteration of Old French escharnir, from Vulgar Latin *escarnire, from Proto-West Germanic *skarnijan, possibly from Proto-Germanic *skeraną (“to shear”) (from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut”)), or possibly related to *skarną (“dung, filth”) (from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱerd-, *(s)ḱer- (“dung, manure, filth”)). Noun from Old French escarn (cognate with Portuguese escárnio, Spanish escarnio and Italian scherno). Cognate with Middle High German schern (“joke, mockery, scorn”), Old English sċierniċġe (“female entertainer, juggler, actress”).

Words from the same roots