Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “stimulus” come from?

Stimulus comes from Latin stimulus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European steyǵ-, meaning to prick or pierce.

stimulus (English): Any external phenomenon that has an influence on...

Definitions

  1. Any external phenomenon that has an influence on...

Ancestry of “stimulus”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinstimulusa goad, prick; a sting; stimulus, incentive
2Proto-Indo-Europeanstey-to stick; compress; condense

Words derived from “stimulus”

  • tristimulus
  • interstimulus
  • poststimulus
  • prestimulus
  • peristimulus
  • stimulon
  • hyperstimulus
  • superstimulus
  • interstimuli
  • photostimulus
  • antistimulus
  • mechanostimulus
Every word from Proto-Indo-European stey- →