Where does “actor” come from?

actor (Scots) comes from English actor, from French acteur, from Middle French acteur, from Latin āctor, from Latin āctus, from Latin agō, from Proto-Italic agō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂éǵeti — to drive.

actor (Scots): actor

Definitions

  1. actor

Ancestry of “actor”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishactorA person who performs in a theatrical play or...
2Frenchacteuractor
3Middle Frenchacteur
4Latināctordoer, agent
5Latināctusmade, done, having been done
6Latinagōto act, to behave
7Proto-Italicagōdrive; push, impel; do, act
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éǵetito be driving
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eǵ-to drive

Words derived from “actor

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ-