English
substraction
Substraction comes from Old French substraction.
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400substraction
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1624same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400substraction
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1624same form
Earliest quotation: 1624, Henry Wotton, The Elements of Architecture: “The plasterer doth make his figures by addition, and…”
The story
The use by non-native speakers arises by analogy with words such as French soustraction and Spanish sustracción.
Every English word from Old French substraction
Today it means
noun Subtraction.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old French substraction / substraction