Where does “impotent” come from?
impotent (Old French) comes from Latin impotēns, from Latin potēns, from Latin posse, from Latin potis, from Proto-Italic potis, from Proto-Indo-European pótis, from Proto-Indo-European ph₃tis, from Proto-Indo-European peh₃- — to drink.
Ancestry of “impotent”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | impotēns | — |
| 2 | Latin | potēns | — |
| 3 | Latin | posse | present active infinitive of possum "to be able... |
| 4 | Latin | potis | able, capable, possible |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | potis | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pótis | master, ruler; husband |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ph₃tis | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₃- | to drink |
Words derived from “impotent”