Damnation

:This article discusses the concept of punishment by God, or use of the word as profane language. For other meanings, see damn (disambiguation).

Etymology

Its Indo-European origin is a root dap-, which appears in Latin and Greek words meaning "feast" and "expense". (The connection is that feasts tend to be expensive.) In Latin this root provided a theorized early Latin noun *dapnom, which became Classical Latin damnum = "damage" or "expense". This word had not as yet got exclusively religious overtones. From it in English came "condemn"; "damnified" (an obsolete adjective meaning "damaged"); "damage" (via French from Latin damnaticum). It began to be used for being found guilty in court; but, for example, an early French treaty called the Strasbourg Oaths includes the Latin phrase in damno sit = "would cause harm". From the judicial meaning came the religious meaning.

Related Topics:
Indo-European - Root - Latin - Greek - Strasbourg Oaths - Religious

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