Where does “anal-retentive” come from?
anal-retentive (English) comes from English retentive, from Middle French rétentif, from Old French retentif, from Medieval Latin retentivus, from Latin retentus, from Latin retineō, from Latin rĕ-, from Latin prōdūcō — passed , crossed.
anal-retentive (English): Preoccupied with achieving perfection, order and...
Definitions
- Preoccupied with achieving perfection, order and...
Ancestry of “anal-retentive”, step by step
anal-retentive traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English retentive
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | retentive | Having power to retain; anal-retentive; That... |
| 2 | Middle French | rétentif | — |
| 3 | Old French | retentif | — |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | retentivus | — |
| 5 | Latin | retentus | restrained, delayed; repressed; held |
| 6 | Latin | retineō | to keep or hold back, detain, restrain, retain, confine, contain; delay |
| 7 | Latin | rĕ- | back, backwards |
| 8 | Latin | prōdūcō | to lead or bring forth, forward or out |
| 9 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via English anal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | anal | of, related to, intended for or involving the... |
| 2 | Latin | ānālis | anal |
| 3 | Latin | ānus | a ring |
| 4 | Kabuverdianu | anos | we, first person plural |
| 5 | Portuguese | nós | we; us; "first-person plural objective personal... |
| 6 | Old Portuguese | enos | — |
| 7 | Old Portuguese | os | the |
| 8 | Vulgar Latin | *lōs | — |
| 9 | Latin | illōs | — |
| 10 | Latin | ille | that; those; "; demonstrative pronoun "; that... |
| 11 | Latin | olle | Archaic form of ille |
| 12 | Proto-Italic | *olnos | that |