Where does “intangible” come from?
intangible (Middle French) comes from Medieval Latin intangibilis, from Late Latin tangibilis, from Latin tangere, from Proto-Italic *tangō, from Proto-Indo-European denḱ- — to bite.
Ancestry of “intangible”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medieval Latin | intangibilis | — |
| 2 | Late Latin | tangibilis | touchable, tangible; able to be touched or sensed |
| 3 | Latin | tangere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | *tangō | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | denḱ- | to bite |