entry
disappear
/ˌdɪsəˈpɪr/to vanish, become unseen, or go missing
From Latin dis- (apart) + Latin, through Old French appear (come into view or become visible).
from French disparaiss- , stem of desapparoistre (Modern French disparaître ). Unappear (mid-15c.) also was used. The...
+1 more sourcefrom French disparaiss- , stem of desapparoistre (Modern French disparaître ). Unappear (mid-15c.) also was used. The...
+1 more sourcefrom Middle English disapeeren, equivalent to dis- + appear. Displaced native Old English fordwīnan. Displaced native...
from Middle English disapeeren, equivalent to dis- + appear. Displaced native Old English fordwīnan. Displaced native...
Word Ancestry
from French disparaiss- , stem of desapparoistre (Modern French disparaître ). Unappear (mid-15c.) also was used. The...
+1 more sourcefrom French disparaiss- , stem of desapparoistre (Modern French disparaître ). Unappear (mid-15c.) also was used. The...
+1 more sourcefrom Middle English disapeeren, equivalent to dis- + appear. Displaced native Old English fordwīnan. Displaced native...
from Middle English disapeeren, equivalent to dis- + appear. Displaced native Old English fordwīnan. Displaced native...
A thing that disappears does not merely leave; it performs the opposite of appearing. The first English forms show up in the early 15th century as disapeeren, while French was also using a form related to disparaître—so English briefly had more than one route for making something vanish. The appearing half ultimately comes from Latin apparēre, a verb for coming into sight, while dis- flips that little spotlight off. By 1884, people were already talking about a “disappearing act,” probably borrowing the phrase from magic shows, where a performer could turn a person, bird, or velvet-covered box into an absence. The word therefore carries a tiny stage inside it: appear means step into the light, and dis- means pull the curtain shut.
The Story
A thing that disappears does not merely leave; it performs the opposite of appearing. The first English forms show up in the early 15th century as disapeeren, while French was also using a form related to disparaître—so English briefly had more than one route for making something vanish. The appearing half ultimately comes from Latin apparēre, a verb for coming into sight, while dis- flips that little spotlight off. By 1884, people were already talking about a “disappearing act,” probably borrowing the phrase from magic shows, where a performer could turn a person, bird, or velvet-covered box into an absence. The word therefore carries a tiny stage inside it: appear means step into the light, and dis- means pull the curtain shut.
Kin & Kindred
From 'dis-'·apart, away, or the opposite of
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'appear'·come into view or become visible
Derived Terms
English words from this root