Where does “flexible” come from?
Flexible comes from Middle French flexible, derived from Latin flexibilis, formed from the Latin suffix -ibilis added to Proto-Italic flektō meaning to bend.
flexible (English): Capable of being flexed or bent without breaking;...
Definitions
- Capable of being flexed or bent without breaking;...
Ancestry of “flexible”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | flexible | — |
| 2 | Latin | flexibilis | flexible, pliant, able to be bent; tractable,... |
| 3 | Latin | -bilis | -ble |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | -ðlis | Forms adjectives from verb stems indicating capacity or worth of being acted on |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -dʰlis | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -dʰlom | Alternative form of *-trom; instrumental suffix;... |