Where does “bisexual” come from?
Bisexual comes from English bi- combined with sexual, where bi- derives from Latin bis meaning twice, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dwóh₁ meaning two.
bisexual (English): Sexually attracted to both men and women or to...
Definitions
- Sexually attracted to both men and women or to...
Ancestry of “bisexual”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | bisexuel | bisexual |
| 2 | French | bi- | bi |
| 3 | Latin | bis | twice, two times, on two occasions, in two ways |
| 4 | Latin | color | colour, shade; color; pigment; complexion |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | μέτρον | something used to measure: measure, rule, weight;... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -τρον | Forms instrument nouns |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | -tron | Forms instrument nouns from verb stems |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |