Where does “supportive” come from?
Supportive derives from English support plus the Anglo-Norman suffix -if, from Latin -ivus and Proto-Indo-European -iHwós, ultimately from Latin sub and Proto-Indo-European per- and upo meaning "under."
supportive (English): Providing support
Ancestry of “supportive”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | -ive | An adjective suffix signifying relating or... |
| 2 | Middle English | -yf | A suffix designating adjectives, adverbs and... |
| 3 | Old French | -if | -ive |
| 4 | Latin | -īvus | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHwós | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -wós | Creates adjectives from verb stems |
Words derived from “supportive”