Where does “retardation” come from?

Retardation comes from Middle English -acioun, Old French -ation, Latin -atio, Latin -tio, Proto-Indo-European -ti-, and Proto-Indo-European -tis, a suffix forming abstract nouns from verb roots.

retardation (English): The act of retarding or delaying; hindrance; The...

Definitions

  1. The act of retarding or delaying; hindrance; The...

Ancestry of “retardation”, step by step

retardation traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via French retarder

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchretarderto retard, slow down; to postpone, put back
2LatinretardoI hinder, delay, detain, impede or retard
3Latinrĕ-back, backwards
4Latinprōdūcōto lead or bring forth, forward or out
5Latinprō-forward direction, forward movement
6Proto-Italic*pro-pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
9Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

via Latin retardātiō

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinretardātiōhindering, delaying, retarding

Words derived from “retardation”

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