Where does “actual” come from?
actual (Middle English) comes from Anglo-Norman actuel, from Old French actual, from Latin actuālis, from Latin āctus, from Latin agō, from Proto-Italic agō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂éǵeti, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ- — to drive.
actual (Middle English): actual, real, true
Definitions
- actual, real, true
Ancestry of “actual”, step by step
actual traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Anglo-Norman actuel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anglo-Norman | actuel | — |
| 2 | Old French | actual | — |
| 3 | Latin | actuālis | active, practical |
| 4 | Latin | āctus | made, done, having been done |
| 5 | Latin | agō | to act, to behave |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | agō | drive; push, impel; do, act |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂éǵeti | to be driving |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eǵ- | to drive |
via Old French actuel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | actuel | — |