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civilian

suh-VIL-yuhn · noun

Old FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Origin

Civilian comes from Middle English cyvylien, borrowed from Old French civilien, which is simply civil plus the suffix -ian.

Journey

The facts available don't trace a shift in meaning beyond its formation — it entered English already carrying its civil/-ian shape.

Related words

It shares its root with civil itself, since civilian is built directly from that word plus -ian.

More words

From Old French

Nearby, A–Z

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