Where does “elusive” come from?

Elusive comes from Latin elusus, the past participle of eludo meaning "to shut out or exclude," formed from the prefix ex- "out" and a root from Proto-Indo-European eǵ-.

elusive (English): Evading capture, comprehension or remembrance;...

Definitions

  1. Evading capture, comprehension or remembrance;...

Ancestry of “elusive”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinēlūsusdeceived, tricked, fooled, having been deceived
2Latinēlūdōto finish play, cease to sport
3Latinē-—
4Latinēx-out, away
5Proto-Indo-Europeaneǵ-—

Words derived from “elusive”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European eǵ- →Every word from Latin ēx- →Every word from Latin ē- →