Where does “intellect” come from?
Intellect comes from Late Latin intellectus, from Latin intellego meaning to understand, from Latin lego meaning to choose, from Latin lex meaning law, tracing to Proto-Indo-European welH-.
intellect (English): the faculty of thinking, judging, abstract...
Definitions
- the faculty of thinking, judging, abstract...
Ancestry of “intellect”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Late Latin | intellectus | understanding, intellect; comprehension,... |
| 2 | Latin | intellegō | to understand, comprehend, realize, come to know |
| 3 | Latin | legō | to collect, gather, bring together, catch |
| 4 | Latin | lēx | a proposition or motion for a law made to the people by a magistrate, a bill |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | lēg- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ-s | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ- | to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to... |