Where does “involution” come from?

Involution comes from Latin involutio, derived from Latin involvo meaning "to roll in," from Latin in- prefixes and a root ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₁én meaning "to be."

involution (English): Entanglement; a spiralling inwards; intricacy; A...

Definitions

  1. Entanglement; a spiralling inwards; intricacy; A...

Ancestry of “involution”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latininvolūtiō—
2Latininvolvōto roll to or upon something
3Latinīn-un-, non-, not
4Latinînin, at, on, upon, from (space)
5Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
6Proto-Italicenin
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin

Words derived from “involution”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →Every word from Latin īn- →Every word from Proto-Italic en →
involution — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer