English
actuation
Actuation comes from Latin āctuō ‘to actuate, activate, implement’, from agō ‘to act, to behave’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eǵ-reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éǵeti‘to be driving’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*agō‘to drive’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEagō‘to act, to behave’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEāctus
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEāctuō‘to actuate, activate, implement’
- Medieval Latinmodernāctuātus
- English1500–presentactuate
- Englishearliest quotation 1954actuation
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eǵ-reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éǵeti‘to be driving’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*agō‘to drive’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEagō‘to act, to behave’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEāctus
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEāctuō‘to actuate, activate, implement’
- Medieval Latinmodernāctuātus
- English1500–presentactuate
- Englishearliest quotation 1954actuation
Earliest quotation: 1954, Third Class Corridor Brake Coaches for British Railways: “All the outside passenger doors are fitted with drop…”
A compound of actuate + -ion
Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-
…
Latin agō ‘do, act’
Latin āctus
Medieval Latin āctuō ‘actuate, implement’
Medieval Latin āctuātus ‘actuated’
English actuate
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-
suggest, register, essay, gesture, acre, digest, congestion, agrarian, belligerent, progesterone, ingest, agitate, gestation, agger, samaj, axiomatic, gerund, gestion, 132 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti ‘to be driving’
strategy, agony, antagonist, axiom, antagonism, agonist, reactionary, antagonize, stratagem, glucagon, agonize, 105 more
through Proto-Italic *agō ‘to drive’
reaction, actively, transaction, radioactive, inactive, unambiguous, reagent, retroactive, hyperactivity, ambiguously, 83 more
through Latin agō ‘to act, to behave’
agency, act, agent, activity, active, action, agenda, examine, examination, ambiguous, agile, ambiguity, agility, assay, activate, squat, enact, radium, cogent, agitation, exigent, inexact, redact, 100 more
through Latin āctus
Today it means
noun The act of putting into motion.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- / actuation