Where does “neutral” come from?
neutral (Middle French) comes from Old French neutral, from Latin neutrālis, from Latin neuter, from Latin nē, from Latin gēns, from Proto-Italic *gentis, from Proto-Indo-European ǵénh₁tis, from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- — to produce, to beget, to give birth.
Ancestry of “neutral”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | neutral | — |
| 2 | Latin | neutrālis | neuter |
| 3 | Latin | neuter | neither; neuter; neuter, intransitive |
| 4 | Latin | nē | no; not |
| 5 | Latin | gēns | Roman clan (related by birth or marriage and sharing a common name and often united by certain religious rites) |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | *gentis | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵénh₁tis | birth, production |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵenh₁- | to produce, to beget, to give birth |