doubt
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
PIE word |
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*dwóh₁ |
The verb is derived from Middle English douten (“to be in doubt, feel unsure; to be afraid or worried; to hesitate; to be confused; to have respect or reverence”) [and other forms],[1] from Old French douter, doter, duter (compare Middle French doubter), from Latin dubitāre (“to hesitate”), the present active infinitive of dubitō (“to be uncertain, doubt; to hesitate, waver in coming to an opinion; to consider, ponder”); the further etymology is uncertain, but one theory is that dubitō may be derived from dubius (“fluctuating, wavering; doubtful, dubious, uncertain”), from duhibius (“held as two”), from duo (“two”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ (“two”)) + habeō (“to have, hold”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- (“to grab, take”)). Although the Middle English form of the word was spelled without a b, this letter was later introduced through the influence of the Latin words dubitāre and dubitō. However, the English word continued to be pronounced without the b sound.[2]
The noun is derived from Middle English dout, doute (“uncertain feeling; questionable point; hesitation; anxiety, fear; reverence, respect; something to be feared, danger;”) [and other forms],[3] from Old French doute, dote, dute (“uncertain feeling, doubt”), from doter, douter, duter (“to doubt; to be afraid of, fear”) (compare Middle French doubter; modern French douter (“to doubt; to suspect”)); see further etymology above.[4]
Displaced Old English twēo (“doubt”) and twēoġan (“to doubt”).
Audio (General American): | (file) |
doubt (third-person singular simple present doubts, present participle doubting, simple past and past participle doubted)
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doubt (countable and uncountable, plural doubts)
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