Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “agile” come from?

Agile comes from Latin agilis, derived from the verb ago meaning to drive or lead, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root h₂eǵ- meaning to drive.

agile (English): Having the faculty of quick motion in the limbs;...

Definitions

  1. Having the faculty of quick motion in the limbs;...

Ancestry of “agile”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinagilisThat can be easily moved, easily movable; light;...
2Latin-ilis-ile
3Proto-Italic-elis—
4Proto-Indo-European-elis—
5Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots

Words derived from “agile”

  • agilely
  • agileness
  • nonagile
  • unagile
  • agile gibbon
  • superagile
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós →