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Origin and history of contusion

contusion(n.)

c. 1400, "act of beating or bruising; a bruise, an injury to the body without apparent wound or fracture," from Latin contusionem (nominative contusio) "a crushing, breaking, battering," in medical language, "a bruise," noun of action from past-participle stem of contundere "to beat, bruise, grind, crush, break to pieces," from assimilated form of com-, here perhaps an intensive prefix (see com-), + tundere "to beat" (see obtuse).

also from c. 1400

Entries linking to contusion

obtuse(adj.)

early 15c., "dull, blunted, not sharp," from Latin obtusus "blunted, dull," also used figuratively, past participle of obtundere "to beat against, make dull," from ob "in front of; against" (see ob-) + tundere "to beat," from PIE *(s)tud-e- "to beat, strike, push, thrust," from root *(s)teu- "to push, stick, knock, beat" (source also of Latin tudes "hammer," Sanskrit tudati "he thrusts"). Sense of "stupid, not acutely sensitive or perceptive" is by c. 1500. In geometry, in reference to a plane angle greater than a right angle," 1560s. Related: Obtusely; obtuseness.

contusive(adj.)

"apt to cause a contusion, bruising," 1798, from Latin contus-, past participle stem of contundere "to beat, bruise, grind, crush, break to pieces" (see contusion) + -ive.

com-

word-forming element usually meaning "with, together," from Latin com, archaic form of classical Latin cum "together, together with, in combination," from PIE *kom- "beside, near, by, with" (compare Old English ge-, German ge-). The prefix in Latin sometimes was used as an intensive.

Before vowels and aspirates, it is reduced to co-; before -g-, it is assimilated to cog- or con-; before -l-, assimilated to col-; before -r-, assimilated to cor-; before -c-, -d-, -j-, -n-, -q-, -s-, -t-, and -v-, it is assimilated to con-, which was so frequent that it often was used as the normal form.

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    bruise
    Old English brysan "to crush, pound, injure by a blow which discolors the skin," from Proto-Germanic *brusjan, from PIE root *bhreu- "to smash, cut, break up" (source also of Old Irish bronnaim "I wrong, I hurt;" Breton brezel "war," Vulgar Latin *brisare "to break"). It merged b
    concussion
    c. 1400, "a bruising, contusion (to the head)," from Latin concussionem (nominative concussio) "a shaking, an earthquake,...
    percussion
    early 15c., percussioun, "a striking, a blow; internal injury, contusion," from Latin percussionem (nominative percussio)...
    mouse
    Middle English mous, from Old English mus "small rodent," also "muscle of the arm" (compare muscle (n.)); from Proto-Germanic *mus (source also of Old Norse, Old Frisian, Middle Dutch, Danish, Swedish mus, Dutch muis, German Maus "mouse"). This is from PIE *mus-, the old Indo-Eur
    hurt
    c. 1200, "to injure, wound" (the body, feelings, reputation, etc.), also "to stumble (into), bump into; charge against, rush, crash into; knock (things) together," from Old French hurter "to ram, strike, collide with" (Modern French heurter), a word of uncertain origin. Perhaps f
    Ruth
    fem. proper name, biblical ancestor of David, from Hebrew Ruth, probably a contraction of reuth "companion, friend, fellow woman." The Old Testament book tells her story....c. 1200, perhaps late Old English, ruthe, "misery, sorrow, grief;" also "pity, compassion, sorrow for the m
    hit
    late Old English hyttan, hittan "come upon, meet with, fall in with, 'hit' upon," from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse hitta "to light upon, meet with," also "to hit, strike;" Swedish hitta "to find," Danish and Norwegian hitte "to hit, find," from Proto-Germanic *hitjan,
    shrine
    Middle English shrine "repository in which a holy object or the relics of a saint are kept," from late Old English scrin "ark (of the covenant); chest, coffer; case for relics," from Latin scrinium "case or box for keeping papers," a word of unknown origin. A widespread Latin bor
    injury
    late 14c., "harm, damage, loss; a specific injury," from Anglo-French injurie "wrongful action" (Old French injure, 13c.), from Latin iniuria "wrong, an injustice, insult, unlawful violence, assault, damage, harm," noun use of fem. of iniurius "wrongful, unjust, unlawful," from i
    striking
    1610s, "that strikes," in a physical sense, present-participle adjective from strike (v.). The meaning "producing a vivid impression, standing out, prominent, conspicuous" is by 1752, from the verb in the sense of "catch the fancy of" (1590s). Related: Strikingly; strikingness. A

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