Where does “refractive” come from?
Refractive comes from Latin refractum, the past participle of refringere meaning "to break back," from re- "back" and fringere "to break," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰreg- "to break."
refractive (English): That refracts; causing or relating to refraction
Definitions
- That refracts; causing or relating to refraction
Ancestry of “refractive”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | refract | To change direction as a result of entering a... |
| 2 | Latin | refractum | nominative neuter singular of refrāctus;... |
| 3 | Latin | refractus | broken up or open |
| 4 | Latin | refringere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 5 | Latin | rĕ- | — |
| 6 | Latin | prōdūcō | — |
| 7 | Latin | prō- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | — |
| 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 |
Words derived from “refractive”