Etymology Explorer › Old French

Where does “civil” come from?

civil (Old French) comes from Latin cīvīlis, from Latin -ilis, from Proto-Italic -elis, from Proto-Indo-European -elis, from Proto-Indo-European -lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.

Ancestry of “civil”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latincīvīlis—
2Latin-ilis-ile
3Proto-Italic-elis—
4Proto-Indo-European-elis—
5Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots

Words derived from “civil”

  • civil
  • civilly
  • uncivil
  • civilize
  • civilise
  • civilizer
  • uncivilly
  • incivil
  • uncivilizable
  • civilizable
  • noncivil
  • decivilize
  • incivilly
  • civilness
  • civilish
  • anti-civil
  • uncivilness
  • decivilise
  • civil service
  • siviiliavioliitto
  • siviili-ilmailu
  • sivari
  • siviilipalvelusmies
  • siviilipalvelus
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós →