Where does “intransigent” come from?
Intransigent comes from French intransigeant, from Spanish intransigente, from Latin in- (not) plus Latin ago (to drive or act), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ- (to drive).
intransigent (English): Unwilling to compromise or moderate a position;...
Definitions
- Unwilling to compromise or moderate a position;...
Ancestry of “intransigent”, step by step
intransigent traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French intransigeant
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | intransigeant | intransigent, unaccommodating |
| 2 | Spanish | intransigente | intransigent |
| 3 | Latin | trānsigēns | piercing |
| 4 | Latin | trānsigō | to thrust through; to pierce; to stab |
| 5 | Latin | trāns | across, beyond |
| 6 | Latin | Padus | the River Po |
| 7 | Lepontic | Bodincus | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰudʰmḗn | bottom |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewbʰ- | deep |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |
via Catalan transigent
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Catalan | transigent | accommodating, tolerant |