Where does “paradoxical” come from?
Paradoxical comes from English paradox plus the suffix -ic, from French -ique, from Latin -icus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -kos.
paradoxical (English): Having self-contradictory properties
Definitions
- Having self-contradictory properties
Ancestry of “paradoxical”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | paradox | An apparently self-contradictory statement, which... |
| 2 | Middle French | paradoxe | — |
| 3 | Latin | paradoxum | paradox |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | παράδοξος | contrary to expectation, strange, incredible |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | παρά | |
| 6 | Latin | verēdus | A fast or light breed of horse; courier's horse; hunter |
| 7 | Gaulish | werēdos | horse |
| 8 | Proto-Celtic | *uɸoreidos | horse |