Where does “invest” come from?
Investigate comes from Latin investigatus, past participle of investigare, combining the prefix in- with a root traced through Proto-Indo-European ne and h₁én.
invest (English): To spend money, time, or energy on something,...
Definitions
- To spend money, time, or energy on something,...
Ancestry of “invest”, step by step
invest traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English investigate
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | investigate | To inquire into or study in order to ascertain... |
| 2 | English | investigation | The act of investigating; the process of... |
| 3 | Latin | investīgātiō | inquiry, investigation |
| 4 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 5 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 6 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 7 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 8 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 9 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 10 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 11 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |
via Middle French investir
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | investir | — |
| 2 | Latin | investio | to clothe in; to cover |
| 3 | Latin | vestiō | to clothe, dress |
| 4 | Latin | vestis | garment, gown, robe, vestment, clothing, vesture;... |
| 5 | Latin | līnea | A linen thread |
| 6 | Latin | līnum | flax |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | līnom | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | līnom | flax |
via Medieval Latin investire
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medieval Latin | investire | — |