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Where does the word "deny" come from? It comes from Latin denegare, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
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Where does the word "deny" come from? It comes from Latin denegare, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
Deny’s story begins in Latin: denegare meant “to refuse.” 'de-' plus 'negare', to say no, the root of 'negative'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as denier. A legal word for rejecting a claim. It reached English by 1300s as deny. 'self-denial' dates from the 1640s. Today, deny means to state that something is not true.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient denegare "to refuse", 'de-' plus 'negare', to say no, the root of 'negative'.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval denier "to refuse", a legal word for rejecting a claim.
- Stage 3 · English · 1300s deny "to refuse; to contradict", 'self-denial' dates from the 1640s.