Where does “sexual” come from?

Sexual derives from Latin sexualis, formed from Latin sexus and the suffix -alis, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sek- meaning to cut or divide.

sexual (English): Arising from the fact of being male or female;...

Definitions

  1. Arising from the fact of being male or female;...

Ancestry of “sexual”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinsexuālissexual
2Latinsexusdivision; sex; gender
3Proto-Italicseksus—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanséksus—
5Proto-Indo-Europeansek-to cut, cut off, sever

Words derived from “sexual”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European sek- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European séksus →Every word from Proto-Italic seksus →