Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “reticent” come from?

Reticent comes from Latin reticens, the present participle of reticeo, formed from the prefix re- and a root from Proto-Italic wre, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wert- and wer-.

reticent (English): Keeping one's thoughts and opinions to oneself;...

Definitions

  1. Keeping one's thoughts and opinions to oneself;...

Ancestry of “reticent”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinreticēns—
2LatinreticeoI am silent, keep silent; I refrain from...
3Latinrĕ-—
4Latinprōdūcō—
5Latinprō-—
6Proto-Italic*pro-—
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

Words derived from “reticent”

  • reticently
  • unreticent
  • irreticent
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →