hostile (English)
Where does "hostile" come from?
The word 'hostile' traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root *gʰóstis, which originally meant 'stranger' or 'guest' and gave us the word 'guest.' In Latin, this root evolved into *hostis, which shifted in meaning from a neutral 'stranger' to a 'foe' or 'enemy of the state.' Borrowed through Middle French, 'hostile' entered English to describe an antagonistic nature, eventually displacing the older English term 'fēondlīċ'.
Full etymology tree
- hostile (English), 'Not friendly; appropriate to an enemy; showing the disposition of an enemy; showing ill will and malevolence or a desire to thwart and injure.'
- borrowed hostile (Middle French)
- inherited hostīlis (Latin), 'hostile'
- derived hostis (Latin), 'an enemy of the state, an enemy, a hostile, opponent, foe'
- inherited *hostis (Proto-Italic), 'stranger, guest'
- inherited *gʰóstis (Proto-Indo-European), 'stranger, host'
- inherited *hostis (Proto-Italic), 'stranger, guest'
- affix -īlis (Latin), '-ile; forms adjectives of relation, frequently passive, to verbs.'
- derived hostis (Latin), 'an enemy of the state, an enemy, a hostile, opponent, foe'
- inherited hostīlis (Latin), 'hostile'
- borrowed hostile (Middle French)
Direct ancestors
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris