Where does “investigate” come from?
Investigate comes from Latin investigatus, past participle of investigāre, composed of the prefix in- and a root from Proto-Indo-European ne meaning "not."
investigate (English): To inquire into or study in order to ascertain...
Definitions
- To inquire into or study in order to ascertain...
Ancestry of “investigate”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | investigation | The act of investigating; the process of... |
| 2 | Latin | investīgātiō | inquiry, investigation |
| 3 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 4 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 5 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 6 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 7 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 8 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 9 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |