Where does “actress” come from?
Actress comes from Old French actriz, from Latin actrix meaning female actor, derived from Latin actus meaning done or acted, from Latin agere meaning to do or drive, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ-.
actress (English): A female who performs on the stage or in films; A...
Definitions
- A female who performs on the stage or in films; A...
Ancestry of “actress”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | -ess | Suffix appended to words to make a female... |
| 2 | French | -esse | used to form nouns describing the condition of... |
| 3 | Italian | -essa | -ess |
| 4 | Portuguese | -esa | feminine singular of -ês |
| 5 | Spanish | -esa | feminine singular of -és |
| 6 | Spanish | -és | Forms nouns and adjectives of nationality;... |
| 7 | Spanish | política | politics; policy; female equivalent of político |
| 8 | Spanish | político | political; in-law; politician |
| 9 | Latin | polīticus | political, civil, of the state, relating to civil polity |
| 10 | Swedish | politisk | political, having to do with politics |
| 11 | Swedish | politik | politics |
| 12 | Ancient Greek | πολιτικός | civic, constitutional, public; social |
| 13 | Ancient Greek | πολῑ́της | citizen |
| 14 | Ancient Greek | πόλις | city; a whole country, as dependent on and called... |
| 15 | Proto-Hellenic | ptólis | city |
| 16 | Proto-Indo-European | tpólHis | — |
| 17 | Proto-Indo-European | tpelH- | fortification, city |