Where does “recalcitrant” come from?
Recalcitrant comes from French récalcitrant, from Latin recalcitrans, the present participle of recalcitrō, meaning to kick back, from Latin re- and calx, heel, ultimately from Ancient Greek χάλιξ.
recalcitrant (English): Marked by a stubborn unwillingness to obey...
Definitions
- Marked by a stubborn unwillingness to obey...
Ancestry of “recalcitrant”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | récalcitrant | recalcitrant, rebellious |
| 2 | Middle French | recalcitrant | — |
| 3 | Latin | recalcitrāns | being disobedient |
| 4 | Latin | recalcitrō | to kick back (of a horse) |
| 5 | Latin | rĕ- | back, backwards |
| 6 | Latin | prōdūcō | to lead or bring forth, forward or out |
| 7 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |