Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “assertiveness” come from?

Assertiveness derives from English assert, from Latin assertus (past participle of asserere, "to claim or defend"), combining Latin ad- (toward) and ser- (to join or bind), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ád and ser-.

assertiveness (English): The quality of being self-assured and assertive

Definitions

  1. The quality of being self-assured and assertive

Ancestry of “assertiveness”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishassertiveBoldly self-assured; confident without being...
2EnglishassertTo declare with assurance or plainly and...
3Latinassertusdeclared free, set free, liberated, having been...
4Latinasserō—
5Latinad-to; usually prefixed to verbs, in which cases it...
6Latinīn-—
7Latinîn—
8Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
9Proto-Italicenin
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →