Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “instinctive” come from?

instinctive (French) comes from French instinctif, from French instinct, from Latin īnstinctus, from Latin instinguo, from Latin īn-, from Latin în, from Latin en, from Proto-Italic en — in.

instinctive (French): feminine singular of instinctif

Definitions

  1. feminine singular of instinctif

Ancestry of “instinctive”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchinstinctifinstinctive
2Frenchinstinctinstinct; gut feeling
3Latinīnstinctus—
4Latininstinguoto incite, to instigate
5Latinīn-—
6Latinîn—
7Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
8Proto-Italicenin
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin

Words derived from “instinctive”

  • instinctivement
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →