*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of dis-

From Middle English dis-, borrowed from Latin dis-, from Proto-Indo-European *dwís. Piecewise doublet of bis-; further related to bi-, di-, and twi-. Often confused with the separately inherited prefix dys-.

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In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
prefix

Not, the reverse of. (Especially forming words with a negative connotation) · Expressing separation or removal. · Used as an intensifier. · Alternative form of dys- (“incorrect”).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English dis-, borrowed from Latin dis-, from Proto-Indo-European *dwís. Piecewise doublet of bis-; further related to bi-, di-, and twi-. Often confused with the separately inherited prefix dys-.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentiondis-enm
  • Derivation mentiondis-la
  • Derivation mention*dwísine-pro
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:dis-"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"apart\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*d(w)is-\", \"gloss\" : \"in two, apart\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"two\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*dwóh₁\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" }, { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"influ.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Influenced by\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"thrice\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*trís\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"influence\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*dwís\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*dis-\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"dis-\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old French\", \"term\" : \"des-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"fro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" }, { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"bor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Borrowed from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"is_duplicate\" : true, \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : { \"1\" : \"la\", \"2\" : \":inh\", \"3\" : \"itc-pro:*dis-<ety:inh<ine-pro:*dwís<alt:*d(w)is-><t:in two, apart>>>\", \"id\" : \"apart\", \"tree\" : \"+\", \"title\" : \"dis-\" }, \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"dis-\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"dis-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"dis-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"dis-\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "dis-"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English dis-"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "dis-"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin dis-"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*dwís"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *dwís"
    },
    {
      "name": "pwd",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "bis-"
      },
      "expansion": "Piecewise doublet of bis-"
    },
    {
      "name": "dbt",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "bi-",
        "3": "di-",
        "4": "twi-",
        "notext": "1",
        "nocat": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "bi-, di-, and twi-"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:dis-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "dis-",
      "dis-#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "dis-",
      "dis-#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "*dwís",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/dwís"
    ],
    [
      "bis-",
      "bis-#English"
    ],
    [
      "bi-",
      "bi-#English"
    ],
    [
      "di-",
      "di-#English"
    ],
    [
      "twi-",
      "twi-#English"
    ],
    [
      "dys-",
      "dys-#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prefix",
      "glosses": [
        "Not, the reverse of. (Especially forming words with a negative connotation)",
        "Expressing separation or removal.",
        "Used as an intensifier.",
        "Alternative form of dys- (“incorrect”)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme",
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ],
      "recordId": "cf4a3c7e252c5770b7de406a87e14c38a887ae1fab1a22a5401ccf038f644021",
      "rawRecordSha256": "594dc60b2f99084130bede708436321516f5fb644026b65be393a697e310326c",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 186507
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for dis- →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-ZGlzLQ