Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “apathetic” come from?

Apathetic comes from English apathy, derived from French apathie, Latin apathia, and Ancient Greek ἀπάθεια, formed from the prefix ἀ- (not) and πάσχω (to suffer or feel).

apathetic (English): Void of feeling; not susceptible of deep emotion;...

Definitions

  1. Void of feeling; not susceptible of deep emotion;...

Ancestry of “apathetic”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishapathyLack of emotion or motivation; lack of interest...
2Frenchapathieapathy
3Latinapathīa—
4Ancient Greekἀπάθειαwant of sensation, impassibility; insensibility,...
5Ancient Greekἀπαθήςwithout sensation or suffering
6Ancient Greekἀ-The alpha privativum, used to make words that...
7Proto-Hellenichə-same; together
8Proto-Indo-Europeansm̥-one; with, together
9Proto-Indo-Europeansem-together, one

Words derived from “apathetic”

  • apathetically
  • nonapathetic
  • apatheticness
  • unapathetic
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sem- →