Where does “inexhaustible” come from?
Inexhaustible derives from English exhaust combined with the Latin suffix -ibilis (capable of), prefixed with Latin in- (not), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European en.
inexhaustible (English): Impossible to exhaust; unlimited
Definitions
- Impossible to exhaust; unlimited
Ancestry of “inexhaustible”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | exhaustible | Capable of being exhausted |
| 2 | English | -ible | An adjective suffix, now usually in a passive... |
| 3 | English | -ity | Used to form a noun from an adjective;... |
| 4 | Middle English | -ite | — |
| 5 | Old French | -ité | -ity |
| 6 | Latin | -itās | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ts | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -tós | Creates verbal adjectives from verb stems |