Where does “reflexive” come from?
Reflexive comes from Medieval Latin reflexivus, derived from Latin reflectere with the suffix -ivus, from Proto-Indo-European wer- meaning to turn.
reflexive (English): Referring back to the subject, or having an...
Definitions
- Referring back to the subject, or having an...
Ancestry of “reflexive”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medieval Latin | reflexivus | reflexive |
| 2 | Latin | reflexus | turned back or away, reflected |
| 3 | Latin | reflectō | to turn back or away; yield; retreat |
| 4 | Latin | rĕ- | back, backwards |
| 5 | Latin | prōdūcō | to lead or bring forth, forward or out |
| 6 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
Words derived from “reflexive”
- reflexivity
- reflexively
- irreflexive
- unreflexive
- reflexiveness
- nonreflexive
- unreflexively
- hyperreflexive
- reflexivize
- irreflexively
- hyporeflexive
- reflexicon
- photoreflexive
- quasireflexive
- autoreflexive
- metareflexive
- reflexive possessive
- pseudoreflexive
- reflexivization
- reflexivizable
- superreflexivity
- hyporeflexivity
- autoreflexivity
- hyperreflexivity