Where does “purposive” come from?

Purposive derives from English purposive, through Middle English purposen and Latin -ivus and pono, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots pro-, bʰuH-, per-, and pr̥tós meaning to place or put forth.

purposive (English): Serving a particular purpose; adapted to a given...

Definitions

  1. Serving a particular purpose; adapted to a given...

Ancestry of “purposive”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpurposeAn objective to be reached; a target; an aim; a...
2Middle Englishpurposen—
3Old Frenchpurposerto propose; to make a proposition
4Latinprōpōnere—

Words derived from “purposive”

Every word from Latin prōpōnere →Every word from Old French purposer →Every word from Middle English purposen →