Where does “inventive” come from?
Inventive derives from Middle English inventyfe, from Old French inventif, from Medieval Latin inventivus, from Latin inventus, the past participle of invenire meaning to find or discover, with in- as a prefix.
inventive (English): Of, or relating to invention; pertaining to the...
Definitions
- Of, or relating to invention; pertaining to the...
Ancestry of “inventive”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | inventif | inventive; creative |
| 2 | Old French | inventif | — |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | inventivus | — |
| 4 | Latin | inventum | invention; nominative neuter singular of... |
| 5 | Latin | invenio | I find; I discover, find out; I come upon |
| 6 | Latin | venio | I come; I approach |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | gʷenjō | to come |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷm̥yéti | to come |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |