English Language & Usage Asked by fringehist1980 on January 28, 2021
According to wiktionary the word is said to derive from Latin ‘denigratus,’ to blacken; or asperse, defame. There’s also Latin ‘denigratio,’ said to mean blackening.
Yet doesn’t the prefix ‘de’ mean to take away from?
So wouldn’t denigrare/denigro mean ‘to remove the blackness of/from’?
I can’t think of any other examples that would be consistent with this. Someone might say flammable / inflammable, but that at least makes some sense. Flammable = able to become flames. Inflammable = able to become inflamed/burned. That wouldn’t really apply here.
Any help/thoughts appreciated.
Your concern appears to be the prefix de- which is used in English also with the meaning of “totally, completely”:
from which denigrate 1520s, "to sully or stain" (the reputation, character, etc.), from Latin denigratus, past participle of denigrare "to blacken; to defame," from de- "completely"
active word-forming element in English and in many verbs inherited from French and Latin, from Latin de "down, down from, from, off; concerning" (see de), also used as a prefix in Latin, usually meaning "down, off, away, from among, down from," but also "down to the bottom, totally" hence "completely" (intensive or completive), which is its sense in many English words.
(Etymonline)
A few terms with de- prefix with the connotation stated above:
Decry, denote, demonstrative, default, devoid, deprivation, definitive, demean, demur, depravity, delusive, deportment, delude, decrepitude , desiccate, demure.
Answered by user 66974 on January 28, 2021
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