sudden

The story

1. Latin · derived fromsubitāneus“sudden”
2. Old French · derived fromsodain
3. Anglo-Norman · derived fromsodein
4. Middle English · inherited fromsodeyn
5. English todaysudden

From Middle English sodeyn, sodain, from Anglo-Norman sodein, from Old French sodain, subdain (“immediate, sudden”), from Vulgar Latin *subitānus (“sudden”), from Latin subitāneus (“sudden”), from subitus (“sudden", literally, "that which has come stealthily”), originally the past participle of subīre (“to come or go stealthily”), from sub (“under”) + īre (“go”). Doublet of subitaneous. Displaced native Old English fǣrlīċ.

Words from the same roots