etymology - Any other words that use “dis-” as an amplifying prefix?


I remember hearing once about the etymology of disgruntled, probably based around a joke about how people can not be gruntled. The explanation given was that there was never a word gruntled, rather the dis‑  in disgruntled is actually a usage of the old prefix where it acts like an amplifier.


Firstly, is this true?


Secondly, are there any other words that use this prefix in this way?



Answer



In the Oxford American Dictionaries, the prefix dis‑  can also express



completeness or intensification of an unpleasant or unattractive action



This definition cites the examples discombobulate and disgruntled.


Other interesting examples of words having the prefix in this particular sense are disaster, distend, and disport.


As an addendum, dis‑  obviously has other implications, for example reversal, separation, removal, negation, etc., but I’m focusing on the meaning specified by the author of this question.


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