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
- Arising from the fact of being male or female;...
Ancestry of “sexual”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | sexuālis | — |
| 2 | Latin | sexus | division; sex; gender |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | seksus | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | séksus | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | sek- | to cut, cut off, sever |
Words derived from “sexual”