Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “typical” come from?

Typical comes from Late Latin typicalis, from Latin typicus, from Ancient Greek τύπος (meaning a blow or impression), from Proto-Indo-European (s)tew- meaning to push or strike.

typical (English): Capturing the overall sense of a thing;...

Definitions

  1. Capturing the overall sense of a thing;...

Ancestry of “typical”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Late Latintypicalis—
2Latintypicusfigurative, typical; periodic; When it is the...
3Latintypusfigure, image; type, form, sort, kind; form,...
4Ancient GreekτύποςA blow, pressing; The results of a blow: mark,...
5Ancient Greekτύπτωto beat, strike, smite; to beat, strike oneself
6Proto-Indo-European(s)tewp-to push, to stick
7Proto-Indo-European(s)tew-to push, to hit

Words derived from “typical”

  • typically
  • atypical
  • typicality
  • untypical
  • atypically
  • neurotypical
  • atypicality
  • nontypical
  • antitypical
  • typicalness
  • homotypical
  • nonatypical
  • subtypical
  • metatypical
  • antitypically
  • nontypically
  • isotypical
  • untypicality
  • serotypically
  • neuroatypicality
  • neuroatypical
  • etypical
  • neurotypically
  • serotypical
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)tew- →