Where does “expletive” come from?

Expletive comes from Late Latin expletivus, derived from the Latin past participle expletus of expleo, meaning "to fill out or complete," from ex- meaning "out."

expletive (English): Serving to fill up, merely for effect, otherwise...

Definitions

  1. Serving to fill up, merely for effect, otherwise...

Ancestry of “expletive”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Late Latinexpletivusserving to fill out
2Latinexplētusfilled up, completed
3Latinexpleōto fill up, occupy completely
4LatinpleōCombining form used to form prefixed verbs with the approximate meaning "to fill"
5Proto-Italicplēōto fill
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpleh₁-to fill

Words derived from “expletive”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- →Every word from Proto-Italic plēō →Every word from Latin pleō →