Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “effective” come from?

Effective comes from French effectif, derived from French effet and the Latin suffix -ivus, ultimately from Latin ex- and facio meaning "to make" or "to do."

effective (English): Having the power to produce a required effect or...

Definitions

  1. Having the power to produce a required effect or...

Ancestry of “effective”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglisheffectThe result or outcome of a cause; Impression left...
2Middle Englisheffect—
3Old Frencheffecteffect; judgment; decree
4Latineffectusmade out, worked out, completed, finished,...
5Latinefficiō—
6LatinexA name of the letter "X"; out of, from
7Latincommūnicō—
8Latincommūnis—
9Old Latincom(m)oinis—
10Proto-Italickommoinis—
11Proto-Indo-Europeanḱom-moy-ni-held in common
12Proto-Indo-Europeanḱómbeside, near, by, with
13Proto-Indo-EuropeanḱeDeictic particle, here; Post-positional...
14Middle Englishkyt—
15Germankitt—
16Old High Germankuti—
17Proto-West Germanickwidugum, resin
18Proto-Germanickweduzresin
19Proto-Indo-Europeangʷet-resin, gum; to say, speak

Words derived from “effective”

  • effectively
  • effectiveness
  • ineffective
  • ineffectiveness
  • ineffectively
  • effectivity
  • noneffective
  • supereffective
  • geoeffective
  • effectivization
  • subeffective
  • equieffective
  • pseudoeffective
  • coeffective
  • effectivate
  • undereffective
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷet- →