devisal

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

English devise

Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-

Proto-Indo-European *-is

Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?

Proto-Italic *-ālis

Latin -ālislbor.

Old French -albor.

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Latin -ālis

Old French -elbor.

▲

Latin -ālisbor.

Middle English -al

English -al

English devisal

From devise + -al.

Noun

devisal (countable and uncountable, plural devisals)

1. An act of devising.
   • 19th century, Francis Thompson, To a Snow-flake

     What heart could have thought you?—

     Past our devisal

     (O filigree petal!)

   • 1875, William Dwight Whitney, The Life and Growth of Language: An Outline of Linguistic Science:

     Each word may be not unfitly compared to an invention; it has its own place, mode, and circumstances of devisal, its preparation in the previous habits of speech […]

Anagrams

• Desilva