Where does “proclivity” come from?
Proclivity comes from Latin proclivitas, derived from Latin clivus combined with the prefix pro-, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European roots bʰuH-, per-, and pr̥tós.
proclivity (English): A predisposition or natural inclination,...
Definitions
- A predisposition or natural inclination,...
Ancestry of “proclivity”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | prōclīvitās | — |
| 2 | Latin | proclivis | downward; downhill; prone; steep |
| 3 | Latin | prō- | — |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |