Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “afflictive” come from?

Afflictive comes from Old French aflicter, from Latin afflictare, derived from afflligere meaning "to strike down," formed from the prefix ad- and a root from Proto-Indo-European -wós.

afflictive (English): That causes physical or mental pain

Definitions

  1. That causes physical or mental pain

Ancestry of “afflictive”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-iveAn adjective suffix signifying relating or...
2Middle English-yfA suffix designating adjectives, adverbs and...
3Old French-if-ive
4Latin-īvus—
5Proto-Indo-European-iHwós—
6Proto-Indo-European-wósCreates adjectives from verb stems

Words derived from “afflictive”

  • afflictively
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -wós →