English
diriment
Diriment comes from Latin dirimēns ‘separating’, from emō ‘buy, purchase’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁em- ‘to take, distribute’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁em-1‘to take, distribute’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*emō1‘to take’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEemō2‘buy, purchase’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdirimō3‘separate, divide’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdirimēns4‘separating’
- Englishtodaydiriment4
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin emo, which cites Rix
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin dirimo
- 3 Wiktionary, Latin dirimens
- 4 Wiktionary, English diriment
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁em-Wiktionary, Latin emo, which cites Rix‘to take, distribute’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*emōWiktionary, Latin emo, which cites Rix‘to take’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEemōWiktionary, Latin dirimo‘buy, purchase’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdirimōWiktionary, Latin dirimens‘separate, divide’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdirimēnsWiktionary, English diriment‘separating’
- EnglishtodaydirimentWiktionary, English diriment
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₁em- ‘to take, distribute’
exempt, pomade, pommel, 53 more
through Proto-Italic *emō ‘to take’
assume, presume, sumptuous, 44 more
through Latin emō ‘buy, purchase’
consumer, premium, assumption, resume, redemption, consume, ransom, exemption, redeem, consumable, preemption, emptor, overconsumption, 39 more
Today it means
adj Serving to invalidate an attempted marriage.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “diriment”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin emo, Latin dirimo, Latin dirimens. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁em- / diriment