Where does “hectic” come from?
Hectic comes from Old French etique, from Medieval Latin hecticus, from Ancient Greek ἑκτικός (hektikos), derived from ἕξις (hexis, habit or condition), itself from ἔχειν (echein, to have or hold), rooted in Proto-Indo-European seǵʰ- (to hold or have).
hectic (English): Denoting a type of fever accompanying consumption...
Definitions
- Denoting a type of fever accompanying consumption...
Ancestry of “hectic”, step by step
hectic traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English etik
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | etik | Moral, relating to morals |
| 2 | Middle French | ethique | — |
| 3 | Old French | ethique | — |
| 4 | Latin | ēthica | — |
| 5 | Late Latin | ethica | — |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ἠθική | feminine nominative/vocative singular of ἠθικός |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ἠθικός | of or for morals; moral; expressing character |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | ἦθος | character; custom, habit |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | ἔθος | habit, custom, manner; disposition, temper;... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | swe-dʰh₁- | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰeh₁- | to do, put, place |
via French hectique
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | hectique | hectic |