Where does “cathect” come from?
cathect (English) comes from German besetzen, from Middle High German besetzen, from Old High German bisezzen, from Proto-West Germanic *bisattjan, from Proto-Germanic bisatjaną, from Proto-Germanic satjaną, from Proto-Indo-European sodéyeti, from Proto-Indo-European -éyeti — Creates transitive imperfective verbs from roots.
cathect (English): To focus one's emotional energies on someone or...
Definitions
- To focus one's emotional energies on someone or...
Ancestry of “cathect”, step by step
cathect traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German besetzen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | besetzen | to occupy; to cast |
| 2 | Middle High German | besetzen | — |
| 3 | Old High German | bisezzen | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *bisattjan | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bisatjaną | to occupy, fill |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | satjaną | to set, to place down |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sodéyeti | to set, to seat, to cause to sit |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -éyeti | Forms causative imperfective verbs from roots;... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yeti | Creates transitive imperfective verbs from roots |