English
spadassinicide
Spadassinicide comes from Italian spadaccino ‘swordsman’, from Ancient Greek σπάθη ‘a spaddle or spattle used for stirring,…’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁-‘to do’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*sph₂dʰh₁éh₂reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσπάθη‘a spaddle or spattle used for stirring, especially for medical purposes’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEspatha
- Italianc. 1300–presentspada‘sword’
- Italian, derivedc. 1300–presentspadaccino‘swordsman’
- Englishearliest quotation 1921spadassinicide
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁-‘to do’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*sph₂dʰh₁éh₂reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσπάθη‘a spaddle or spattle used for stirring, especially for medical purposes’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEspatha
- Italianc. 1300–presentspada‘sword’
- Italian, derivedc. 1300–presentspadaccino‘swordsman’
- Englishearliest quotation 1921spadassinicide
Earliest quotation: 1921, Rafael Sabatini, Chapter VI: “Challenges are flying right and left between these bully-swordsmen,…”
Formed from spadassin + -icide
Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’
…
Latin spatha
Italian spada ‘sword’
Italian spadaccino ‘swordsman’
French spadassin
English spadassin
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’
do, fact, deal, hot, fair, fan, benefit, feature, defense, fashion, mid, theme, custom, defence, treasury, sufficient, ethnic, treasure, ethical, theology, thesis, aesthetic, synthetic, doom, feast, defendant, dis, tick, atheist, deed, auditorium, auditor, atheism, ethic, ethos, forfeit, feral, demi, familial, medial, 126 more
through Latin spatha
spatula, spall, espada, 17 more
through Italian spada ‘sword’
Today it means
noun The act of coaxing someone, usually through insult, into initiating a swordsman's duel, and subsequently killing that person with superior skill so as to commit legal murder.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- / spadassinicide