Where does “civitas” come from?

Civitas comes from Latin civitas, derived from Latin civis, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱey-, a root meaning to lie down or settle.

civitas (English): The social body of the citizens united by law; A...

Definitions

  1. The social body of the citizens united by law; A...

Ancestry of “civitas”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latincīvitās—
2Proto-Italickeiwissociety; citizen
3Proto-Indo-Europeanḱey-to be lying down; to settle
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱey- →Every word from Proto-Italic keiwis →Every word from Latin cīvitās →