Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “exploratory” come from?

Exploratory comes from English explore plus the suffix -ory, ultimately from Latin ex- meaning out and -ivus forming adjectives, combined with Latin -ia.

exploratory (English): Serving to explore or investigate; An exploration...

Definitions

  1. Serving to explore or investigate; An exploration...

Ancestry of “exploratory”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-atoryforms adjectives of, relating to, or connected...
2English-atehaving the specified thing; characterized by the...
3English-cyUsed to form nouns of state, condition or quality...
4Anglo-Norman-cie—
5Latin-tiaoffice, rank
6Latin-iaUsed to form a feminine abstract noun, usually...
7Latin-iusforming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter...
8Proto-Italic-jōsForms comparative adjectives
9Proto-Indo-European-yósCreates adjectives from noun or verb stems

Words derived from “exploratory”

  • exploratorily
  • nonexploratory
  • exploratoriness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yós →