Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “vertiginous” come from?

Vertiginous comes from French vertigineux, meaning dizzy or dizzying, ultimately from Latin vertīginosus, an adjective derived from vertīgo meaning a spinning or whirling sensation.

vertiginous (English): Having an aspect of great depth, drawing the eye...

Definitions

  1. Having an aspect of great depth, drawing the eye...

Ancestry of “vertiginous”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchvertigineuxvertiginous; dizzy
2Latinvertiginōsus—
3Latinvertīgō—
4Latin-igoEnlargement of -ō; Suffixed to nouns and to...
5Proto-Italicagōdrive; push, impel; do, act
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éǵetito be driving
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eǵ-to drive

Words derived from “vertiginous”

  • vertiginously
  • nonvertiginous
  • vertiginousness
  • antivertiginous
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ- →