Where does “intensity” come from?
Intensity comes from Middle French intensité, from Latin intensitas, the noun form of intensus (stretched tight), from intendere (to stretch toward), composed of in- and tendere (to stretch).
intensity (English): The quality of being intense; The degree of...
Definitions
- The quality of being intense; The degree of...
Ancestry of “intensity”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | intense | Strained; tightly drawn; Strict, very close or... |
| 2 | Middle English | intens | — |
| 3 | Old French | intense | — |
| 4 | Latin | intēnsus | intent, eager |
| 5 | Latin | intendō | to stretch out; to strain |
| 6 | Latin | īn- | un-, non-, not |
| 7 | Latin | în | in, at, on, upon, from (space) |
| 8 | Latin | en | lookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | en | in |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |