Where does “tactical” come from?
Tactical derives from English tactic, from Ancient Greek τάσσω meaning "to arrange," combined with the Ancient Greek suffix -σις, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European roots -tis and -kos.
tactical (English): of, or relating to tactics; of, or relating to...
Definitions
- of, or relating to tactics; of, or relating to...
Ancestry of “tactical”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tactic | A maneuver, or action calculated to achieve some... |
| 2 | French | tactique | tactic; tactical |
| 3 | Latin | tactica | — |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | τακτική | tactics |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | τακτικός | fit for ordering or arranging, especially in war;... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -τικός | relating to, suited to, skilled in, able to,... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | -σις | Added to verb stems to form abstract nouns or... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | -τις | retained after dentals |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -tis | Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots |