Where does “savage” come from?
savage (Old French) comes from Late Latin salvaticus, from Latin silvāticus, from Latin -aticus, from Latin -ātus, from Proto-Italic -ātos, from Proto-Indo-European -éh₂tos — Forms adjectives from nouns, indicating the possession of a thing or a quality.
Ancestry of “savage”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Late Latin | salvaticus | — |
| 2 | Latin | silvāticus | of the woods, sylvan |
| 3 | Latin | -aticus | Used to form adjectives indicating a relation to... |
| 4 | Latin | -ātus | ed |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | -ātos | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -éh₂tos | Forms adjectives from nouns, indicating the possession of a thing or a quality |