Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “excessive” come from?

Excessive comes from Middle French excessif, derived from Latin excessivus, meaning tending to exceed or go beyond proper limits.

excessive (English): Exceeding the usual bounds of something;...

Definitions

  1. Exceeding the usual bounds of something;...

Ancestry of “excessive”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchexcessif—
2Latinexcessivusexcessive
3LatinexcedoI go out, go forth or away; depart, retire,...
4Latincēdō—
5Proto-Italickedōgive here!
6Proto-Italickehere
7Indo-European*ḱe—

Words derived from “excessive”

  • excessively
  • excessiveness
  • nonexcessive
  • excessivism
Every word from Indo-European *ḱe →