Where does “retroflexive” come from?

retroflexive (English) comes from English -ive, from Middle English -yf, from Old French -if, from Latin -īvus, from Proto-Indo-European -iHwós, from Proto-Indo-European -wós — Creates adjectives from verb stems.

retroflexive (English): retroflex; backwards

Definitions

  1. retroflex; backwards

Ancestry of “retroflexive”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-iveAn adjective suffix signifying relating or...
2Middle English-yfA suffix designating adjectives, adverbs and...
3Old French-if-ive
4Latin-īvusAdjective suffix
5Proto-Indo-European-iHwós—
6Proto-Indo-European-wósCreates adjectives from verb stems
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -wós →Every word from Latin -īvus →Every word from English -ive →