Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “pervasive” come from?

Pervasive comes from Latin pervasus, the past participle of pervado meaning "to go through," from per- "through" and wadʰom "ford," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European weh₂dʰ- "to go."

pervasive (English): Manifested throughout; pervading, permeating,...

Definitions

  1. Manifested throughout; pervading, permeating,...

Ancestry of “pervasive”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinpervāsus—
2Latinpervādō—
3Latinvādō—
4Latinvaderesecond-person singular present passive...
5LatinvadoI go, walk, rush; I ford, wade through
6Proto-Italicwāðōadvance, proceed, go
7Proto-Indo-Europeanweh₂dʰ-to go, to proceed; to pass, to traverse

Words derived from “pervasive”

  • pervasiveness
  • pervasively
  • nonpervasive
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weh₂dʰ- →