English
defiance
Defiance comes from Old French desfiance ‘despair’, from desfier ‘to defy’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ- ‘to trust’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeydʰ-‘to trust’root as named · steps between not traced
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400desfier‘to defy’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400desfiance‘despair’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500defiaunce
- Englishearliest quotation 1921defiance
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeydʰ-‘to trust’root as named · steps between not traced
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400desfier‘to defy’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400desfiance‘despair’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500defiaunce
- Englishearliest quotation 1921defiance
Earliest quotation: 1921, Ben Travers, Garden City: “But Sophia's mother was not the woman to brook…”
Equivalent to defy + -ance
Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ- ‘to trust’
…
Proto-Italic *feiðos ‘faithful, reliable’
Latin fidus ‘faithful’
Vulgar Latin *disfidare ‘renounce one's faith’
Old French desfier ‘to defy’
English defy
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ- ‘to trust’
federal, confident, federation, confidence, confederate, abide, affidavit, fidelity, bode, fiduciary, foi, fealty, confidant, confide, bide, infidel, perfidy, diffident, 26 more
through Old French desfier ‘to defy’
Today it means
noun The feeling, or spirit of being defiant.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ- / defiance