Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “ineffectual” come from?

Ineffectual comes from Middle English in- (not) + effectual, where the prefix in- derives from Latin in- (not), itself from Latin in (in, into), tracing back through Proto-Indo-European ne (not), oyd- (to see), en (in), and en (in).

ineffectual (English): Unable or insufficient to produce effect;...

Definitions

  1. Unable or insufficient to produce effect;...

Ancestry of “ineffectual”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishin-in, into, towards, within; in, into; Used with...
2Middle Englishin-—
3Old Englishin-in, into; on, upon; internal, positioned on the...
4Old Englishinin; Alternative form of inn
5Proto-West Germanic*in—
6Proto-Germanicinin; into
7Proto-Indo-Europeanénin

Words derived from “ineffectual”

  • ineffectually
  • ineffectuality
  • ineffectualness
  • ineffectualize
Every word from Proto-Indo-European én →