Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “restive” come from?

Restive comes from Old French restif, derived from Old French rester meaning "to remain," from Latin restare, composed of the prefix re- and the root steh₂- meaning "to stand."

restive (English): Impatient under delay, duress, or control;...

Definitions

  1. Impatient under delay, duress, or control;...

Ancestry of “restive”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishrestiffAlternative form of restive; A restive or...
2Old Frenchrestif—
3Old Frenchresterto stay; to rest; to remain, be left over
4Latinrestō—
5Latinrĕ-—
6Latinprōdūcō—
7Latinprō-—
8Proto-Italic*pro-—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
11Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
12Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “restive”

  • restiveness
  • restively
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →