Where does “retractability” come from?
retractability (English) comes from English retract, from French rétracter, from Latin retractāre, from Latin retractō, from Latin retractus, from Latin retrahō, from Latin rĕ-, from Latin prōdūcō — passed , crossed.
retractability (English): The quality of being retractable
Definitions
- The quality of being retractable
Ancestry of “retractability”, step by step
retractability traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English retract
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | retract | To pull back inside; To draw back; to draw up; To... |
| 2 | French | rétracter | to retract, contract |
| 3 | Latin | retractāre | — |
| 4 | Latin | retractō | to undertake again |
| 5 | Latin | retractus | withdrawn |
| 6 | Latin | retrahō | to draw or pull back, withdraw; call back, remove; withhold; divert |
| 7 | Latin | rĕ- | back, backwards |
| 8 | Latin | prōdūcō | to lead or bring forth, forward or out |
| 9 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via English ability
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ability | Suitableness; The quality or state of being able;... |
| 2 | Middle English | abilite | suitability, aptitude, ability |
| 3 | Old French | ableté | — |
| 4 | Latin | habilitās | ability, aptitude, fitness |
| 5 | Latin | habilis | able to have/possess/maintain; having sufficient... |
| 6 | Latin | -ilis | -ile |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -elis | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -elis | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |