DictionaryRoot: dis-
English
dis-
not, apart, or undoing
Forms
- dis-
Origin
Borrowed chiefly through French from Latin dis-, “apart.”
Note
Negation and reversal developed from separation, but the contribution varies by word.
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verb
disown
dis-OHN/dɪsˈəʊn/
To refuse to acknowledge a connection with or responsibility for someone or something.
Etymology
Own could mean accepting responsibility or acknowledging something, not just possessing it. Disown reverses that acceptance: people refuse to recognize a person or thing as connected with them.