Where does “heterosexual” come from?

heterosexual (Romanian) comes from French hétérosexuel, from French sexuel, from Latin sexuālis, from Latin sexus, from Proto-Italic seksus, from Proto-Indo-European séksus, from Proto-Indo-European sek- — to cut, cut off, sever.

heterosexual (Romanian): heterosexual; a heterosexual

Definitions

  1. heterosexual; a heterosexual

Ancestry of “heterosexual”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchhétérosexuelheterosexual
2Frenchsexuelsexual
3Latinsexuālissexual
4Latinsexusdivision; sex; gender
5Proto-Italicseksus—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanséksus—
7Proto-Indo-Europeansek-to cut, cut off, sever
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sek- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European séksus →Every word from Proto-Italic seksus →
heterosexual — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer