English
dissimilitude
Dissimilitude comes from Latin dissimilitūdō ‘unlikeness, difference, dissimilitude’, from similis ‘resembling, like’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sem-h₂-lo-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sem-h₂-lo-1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*semalis1‘similiar’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsimilis1‘resembling, like’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdissimilis2‘unlike’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdissimilitūdō2‘unlikeness, difference, dissimilitude’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500dissimilitude2
- Englishtodaydissimilitude2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin dissimilis
- 2 Wiktionary, English dissimilitude
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sem-h₂-lo-Wiktionary, Latin dissimilisreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*semalisWiktionary, Latin dissimilis‘similiar’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsimilisWiktionary, Latin dissimilis‘resembling, like’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdissimilisWiktionary, English dissimilitude‘unlike’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdissimilitūdōWiktionary, English dissimilitude‘unlikeness, difference, dissimilitude’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500dissimilitudeWiktionary, English dissimilitude
- EnglishtodaydissimilitudeWiktionary, English dissimilitude
Linked words
through Latin similis ‘resembling, like’
similar, simulation, assemble, simulate, semblance, assemblage, simulacrum, simile, 18 more
Today it means
noun The quality of being dissimilar or different; lack of resemblance.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “dissimilitude”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin dissimilis. 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 *sem-h₂-lo- / dissimilitude