Where does “retro-engineer” come from?
retro-engineer (English) comes from English engineer, from Middle English engyneour, from Old French engigneor, from Latin ingeniator, from Latin ingeniārius, from Latin ingenium, from Latin gignere, from Latin genere — to produce, to beget, to give birth.
retro-engineer (English): To reverse-engineer; to analyze in order to...
Definitions
- To reverse-engineer; to analyze in order to...
Ancestry of “retro-engineer”, step by step
retro-engineer traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English engineer
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | engineer | A person who is qualified or professionally... |
| 2 | Middle English | engyneour | — |
| 3 | Old French | engigneor | deceiver; one who deceives; engineer |
| 4 | Latin | ingeniator | engineer |
| 5 | Latin | ingeniārius | an engineer |
| 6 | Latin | ingenium | innate or natural quality, natural character;... |
| 7 | Latin | gignere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 8 | Latin | genere | ablative singular of genus; to beget, produce |
| 9 | Latin | genus | birth, origin, lineage, descent; kind, type,... |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | genos | lineage, origin |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵénh₁os | race, lineage |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵenh₁- | to produce, to beget, to give birth |
via English retro
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | retro | Of, or relating to, the past, past times, or the... |
| 2 | French | rétro | shortening of rétroviseur, mirror; retro |
| 3 | French | rétroviseur | rear-view mirror |
| 4 | French | rétro- | retro-, back, behind |
| 5 | Latin | retrō | back, backwards, behind |
| 6 | Latin | dūcere | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | doukō | lead |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | déwketi | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dewk- | to pull, to draw; to lead |