Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “retardant” come from?

Retardant comes from French retardant, the present participle of French retarder, meaning to delay or slow down.

retardant (English): Serving to retard the action of something;...

Definitions

  1. Serving to retard the action of something;...

Ancestry of “retardant”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchretardantpresent participle of retarder
2Frenchretarderto retard, slow down; to postpone, put back
3LatinretardoI hinder, delay, detain, impede or retard
4Latinrĕ-—
5Latinprōdūcō—
6Latinprō-—
7Proto-Italic*pro-—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
10Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
11Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “retardant”

  • retardancy
  • unretardant
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →