Where does “sterility” come from?
Sterility comes from Middle French stérilité, from Latin sterilitās, derived from the adjective sterilis combined with the Latin suffix -itās, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning barrenness or inability to produce.
sterility (English): The state or quality of being sterile
Definitions
- The state or quality of being sterile
Ancestry of “sterility”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | -ity | Used to form a noun from an adjective;... |
| 2 | Middle English | -ite | — |
| 3 | Old French | -ité | -ity |
| 4 | Latin | -itās | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ts | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -tós | Creates verbal adjectives from verb stems |