Where does “recessive” come from?

Recessive derives from Latin recessivus, meaning "tending to recede or withdraw."

recessive (English): Going back; receding; Able to be masked by a...

Definitions

  1. Going back; receding; Able to be masked by a...

Ancestry of “recessive”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinrecēdōto go back, fall back, give ground, retire, withdraw, recede
2Latinrĕ-back, backwards
3Latinprōdūcōto lead or bring forth, forward or out
4Latinprō-forward direction, forward movement
5Proto-Italic*pro-pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
8Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “recessive”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →Every word from Proto-Indo-European per- →Every word from Latin rĕ- →