Where does “insensible” come from?
insensible (Middle English) comes from Old French insensible, from Late Latin insensibilis, from Latin sensibilis, from Latin sensus, from Latin sentire, from Latin sentio, from Proto-Italic sentjō, from Proto-Indo-European sent- — to be.
Ancestry of “insensible”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | insensible | — |
| 2 | Late Latin | insensibilis | imperceptible, insensible; undetectable |
| 3 | Latin | sensibilis | perceptible, sensible; detectable |
| 4 | Latin | sensus | felt, perceived with the senses, having felt;... |
| 5 | Latin | sentire | present active infinitive of sentiō;... |
| 6 | Latin | sentio | I feel, I sense, I perceive; I perceive, I am... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | sentjō | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sent- | to head for, to go, to travel; to feel |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁es- | to be |