dis-

Forms

dis- (dī- before b, d, g, l, m, n, r and consonantal u, dif- before f, dir- before vowels)^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *dis- (“in two, apart”).^[3][1] De Vaan takes it as cognate with Ancient Greek διά (diá, “in two, apart, through”), from ⟨*dis-a⟩, and relates it to Proto-Indo-European *dui- (“two, into two”);^[3][1] Wiktionary gives Proto-Indo-European *d(w)is- (“in two, apart”) and calls the details disputed.^[3][1] Unlike the Greek word, it was never a free preposition in Latin: the oldest texts have it almost only before verbs.^[3][4] The early adjective difficilis has the sense “not, the opposite of”, so it may contain Proto-Indo-European *dus- (“apart; bad”), though others take it as built from facilis after the model of similis and dissimilis.^[3] De Vaan also considers a dissimilation of ⟨*dwis-⟩ to ⟨*dis-⟩ before verbs beginning with ⟨w⟩, as in dīvidō.^[3]

Cognate with Old English te- and Old High German ze-.^[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Livius Andronicus on,^[3] prefixed to verbs in the sense “apart, away”.^[3]

Semantic evolution

It marks separation or dispersal, often the reversal of an earlier process, and in some words simply negation (as in dissimilis and displiceō); an intensifying use (disamō, discupiō) seems to be colloquial.^[2]

In classical Latin it ran parallel to dē- with much the same meaning, but in Late Latin it became the preferred form and passed into Old French as des-;^[5] English has it from French and directly from Latin, for “not”, “do the opposite of” and “apart”.^[5]

Meanings

Prefix

1. Apart, asunder, in two; in different directions.^[2][1]
2. Denoting the reversal of a process, or removal.^[2][1]
3. Not, the opposite of.^[2][5]
4. (colloquial, intensive) Utterly, exceedingly.^[2][1]

Word family

• discēdō
• dissolvō
• diffugiō
• dīvellō
• disiungō
• dissociō
• dissimilis
• displiceō
• dīmittō
• dīripiō
• diffundō

Related words

• bis
• English dis-

Usage notes

The Senatus consultum de Bacchanalibus still has dismota, where later Latin has dī-.^[3] Gothic took the prefix over as dis-.^[3]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
5. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com