Where does “propensity” come from?
Propensity comes from French -ité and Latin -itas combined with Latin pro- and pro, ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European per- meaning forward or through.
propensity (English): An inclination, disposition, tendency,...
Definitions
- An inclination, disposition, tendency,...
Ancestry of “propensity”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | propense | Leaning toward, in a moral sense; inclined;... |
| 2 | Latin | propensus | hanging down, preponderant; inclining toward,... |
| 3 | Latin | propendeo | I hang down, forth or forward; I weigh more,... |
| 4 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |