Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Vertigo” come from?

Vertigo (English) comes from Latin vertīgō, from Latin -igo, from Proto-Italic agō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂éǵeti, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ- — to drive.

Ancestry of “Vertigo”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinvertīgō—
2Latin-igoEnlargement of -ō; Suffixed to nouns and to...
3Proto-Italicagōdrive; push, impel; do, act
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éǵetito be driving
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eǵ-to drive
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ- →