Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “hypnotic” come from?

Hypnotic derives from French hypnotique, from Latin hypnoticus, from Ancient Greek ὑπνωτικός, formed from ὕπνος meaning sleep with the suffix -σις and Proto-Indo-European -kos, ultimately from the root swep- meaning sleep.

hypnotic (English): Of, or relating to hypnosis or hypnotism;...

Definitions

  1. Of, or relating to hypnosis or hypnotism;...

Ancestry of “hypnotic”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchhypnotiquehypnotic; sleeping pill
2Latinhypnōticus—
3Ancient Greekὑπνωτικόςinclined to sleep, sleepy; inducing sleep,...
4Ancient GreekὑπνῶI put to sleep
5Ancient GreekὝπνος—
6Proto-Hellenichúpnos—
7Proto-Indo-Europeansupnóssleep; death
8Proto-Indo-Europeanswóp-r̥ ~ swép-n̥s—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanswep-to sleep

Words derived from “hypnotic”

  • hypnosis
  • hypnotize
  • hypnotically
  • hypnotizing
  • hypnotizability
  • posthypnotic
  • hypnotizable
  • hypnotizer
  • nonhypnotic
  • hypnotization
  • hypnoses
  • autohypnosis
  • autohypnotic
  • prehypnotic
  • posthypnosis
  • prehypnosis
  • dehypnotize
  • antihypnotic
  • unhypnotizable
  • dehypnotization
  • hypnotizingly
  • rehypnotize
  • narcohypnosis
  • narcohypnotic
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swep- →