Where does “conceivable” come from?
Conceivable comes from Middle English -able, Old French -able, and Latin concipio, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European keh₂p- meaning to grasp or seize.
conceivable (English): Capable of being conceived or imagined
Definitions
- Capable of being conceived or imagined
Ancestry of “conceivable”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | conceive | To develop an idea; to form in the mind; to plan;... |
| 2 | Middle English | conceyven | To become pregnant; to conceive |
| 3 | Old French | concevoir | to conceive |
| 4 | Latin | concipiō | to receive or catch, grasp |
| 5 | Latin | cōn- | Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing together of several objects |
| 6 | Latin | cum | with, along with; at; -fold |
| 7 | Old Latin | com | Alternative form of cum |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | kom | with, along, at |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 11 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 12 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 13 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 14 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 15 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 16 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
| 17 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |