denigrate的词源

英文词源

denigrate

denigrate: [16] To denigrate people is literally to ‘blacken’ them. The word comes from Latin dēnigrāre ‘blacken’, a compound verb formed from the intensive prefix dē- and niger ‘black’. This adjective, which is of unknown origin, also produced French noir ‘black’ and Italian nero ‘black’, and is the source (via Spanish negro) of English negro [16] and the now taboo nigger [18]. Denigrate originally meant ‘physically turn something black’ as well as the metaphorical ‘defame, belittle’: ‘This lotion will denigrate the hairs of hoary heads’, Richard Tomlinson, Renodaeus’ Medicinal dispensatory 1657.
=> negro, nigger

denigrate (v.)

1520s, from Latin denigratus, past participle of denigrare "to blacken, defame," from de- "completely" (see de-) + nigr-, stem of niger "black" (see Negro). which is of unknown origin. "Apparently disused in 18th c. and revived in 19th c." [OED]. Related: Denigrated; denigrating.

中文词源

denigrate：诽谤

de-, 向下，强调。-nigr, 黑色，词源同negro. 引申词义抹黑，诽谤。

该词的英语词源请访问趣词词源英文版：denigrate 词源，denigrate 含义。

denigrate：涂黑；抹黑，贬低，诋毁

来源于拉丁语中由加强意义的前缀de-和形容词niger(黑的)组成的复合动词denigrare(使变黑)。

词根词缀： de-加强意义 + -nigr-黑 + -ate动词词尾