Where does “subtractive” come from?

Subtractive derives from Latin subtractus, past participle of subtrahere meaning to draw away, from Latin sub meaning under and trahere meaning to draw, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp-.

subtractive (English): Of or pertaining to subtraction; Of a colour:...

Definitions

  1. Of or pertaining to subtraction; Of a colour:...

Ancestry of “subtractive”, 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

Words derived from “subtractive”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European -wós →Every word from Latin -īvus →Every word from English -ive →