DictionaryRoot: dis-
Latin

dis-

apart, away; reversal or negation

Forms

  • dis-
  • di- — Shortened in certain Latin compounds.
  • dif- — Used before f in Latin.

Origin

Reconstructed Proto-Indo-European *dis, ‘apart,’ associated with the idea of ‘two.’

Note

Separating things supplied a route from physical apartness to undoing an action.

75 / 164
Host regretfully takes back a previously given invitation card from a disappointed intended guest at the party doorway, gently indicating the guest cannot enter.
verb

disinvite

dis-in-VYTE/dɪsɪnvˈaɪt/

To withdraw an invitation previously given to someone.

Etymology

Dis- reverses the inviting expressed by invitare: the word cancels an invitation already given, rather than merely withholding one. The Latin verb's deeper origin is uncertain.

Full entry

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