Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “bisexuality” come from?

Bisexuality derives from English bisexual, combining English bi- with Latin -itas, from Latin -inus and Latin duo meaning "two," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dwóh₁.

bisexuality (English): The state of being sexually or romantically...

Definitions

  1. The state of being sexually or romantically...

Ancestry of “bisexuality”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbisexualSexually attracted to both men and women or to...
2Frenchbisexuelbisexual
3Frenchbi-bi-
4Latinbistwice, two times, on two occasions, in two ways
5Latincolorcolour, shade; color; pigment; complexion
6Ancient Greekμέτρονsomething used to measure: measure, rule, weight;...
7Ancient Greek-τρονForms instrument nouns
8Proto-Hellenic-tronForms instrument nouns from verb stems
9Proto-Indo-European-tromForms nouns denoting a tool or instrument
10Proto-Indo-European-tḗrDerives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tḗr →