Where does “retractable” come from?
Retractable comes from Middle English -able, Old French -able, and Latin -abilis, combined with Latin re- and traho meaning "to draw," literally "to draw back."
retractable (English): Capable of being retracted; retractile; A...
Definitions
- Capable of being retracted; retractile; A...
Ancestry of “retractable”, step by step
retractable 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| 5 | Latin | retractus | withdrawn |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 Catalan retractar
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Catalan | retractar | to retract |