Etymology

trifid

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Today it means: Divided into three lobes. Full definition →

Latin trifidus ← Proto-Italic *findō ← Proto-Indo-European *bʰinédti
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*tréyes
  2. Proto-Indo-European*tri-
  3. Proto-Italic*tri-
  4. Latintri-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeyd-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*bʰinédti
  7. Proto-Italic*findō
  8. Latinfindō
  9. Latintrifidus
  10. English todaytrifid

From Latin trifidus, from tri- (“three”) + -fidus, form of findere (“to split”).

Words from the same roots

Latintrifidus all →

trifidate

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.