Where does “Tacitus” come from?

Tacitus derives from Latin Tacitus, the past participle of taceo, meaning "to be silent," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European tak-.

Tacitus (English): A Roman cognomen, notably borne by Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (c.56–117), a historian of ancient Rome and Marcus Claudius Tacitus (c.200–275), a Roman emperor

Definitions

  1. A Roman cognomen, notably borne by Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (c.56–117), a historian of ancient Rome and Marcus Claudius Tacitus (c.200–275), a Roman emperor

Ancestry of “Tacitus”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinTacitusA Roman cognomen, notably borne by Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (c.56-117), a historian of ancient Rome and Marcus Claudius Tacitus (c.200-275), a Roman emperor
2LatintaceoI am silent, say nothing, shut up, hold my...
3Proto-Italictakēōbe silent
4Proto-Indo-Europeantak-to be silent
Every word from Proto-Indo-European tak-Every word from Proto-Italic takēōEvery word from Latin taceo
Tacitus — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer