Where does “wax poetic” come from?
wax poetic (English) comes from English poetic, from Middle French poetique, from Latin poeticus, from Ancient Greek ποιητικός, from Ancient Greek -τικός, from Ancient Greek -σις, from Ancient Greek -τις, from Proto-Indo-European -tis — Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots.
wax poetic (English): To become increasingly verbose; To speak in an...
Definitions
- To become increasingly verbose; To speak in an...
Ancestry of “wax poetic”, step by step
wax poetic traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English poetic
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | poetic | Relating to poetry; Characteristic of poets;... |
| 2 | Middle French | poetique | — |
| 3 | Latin | poeticus | poetic |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ποιητικός | creator; making, producing |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -τικός | relating to, suited to, skilled in, able to,... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -σις | Added to verb stems to form abstract nouns or... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | -τις | retained after dentals |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -tis | Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots |