Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “passively” come from?

Passively comes from English passive, from French passif, from Latin passivus, derived from the Latin verb pati meaning to suffer or endure, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots.

passively (English): In a passive manner; without conscious or...

Definitions

  1. In a passive manner; without conscious or...

Ancestry of “passively”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpassiveBeing subjected to an action without producing a...
2Middle Englishpassyf—
3Frenchpassifthe passive voice; liability; passive
4Latinpassivussubject to passion or emotion; passive
5Latin-īvus—
6Proto-Indo-European-iHwós—
7Proto-Indo-European-wósCreates adjectives from verb stems
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -wós →