English
actuator
Actuator 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 1652actuator
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 1652actuator
Earliest quotation: 1652, Anthony Burgesse, Spiritual Refining: or a Treatise of Grace and Assurance: “[…] and God is the Author and Actuator of…”
A compound of actuate + -or
Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-
…
Latin agō ‘do, act’
Latin āctus
Medieval Latin āctuō ‘actuate, implement’
Medieval Latin āctuātus ‘actuated’
English actuate
first attested First attested in 1652 (as stated in the etymology)
The story
First attested in 1652.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-
suggest, register, essay, gesture, digest, acre, congestion, agrarian, belligerent, progesterone, ingestion, gestation, ingest, agitate, axiomatic, agger, samaj, gerund, gestion, 131 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti ‘to be driving’
strategy, agony, antagonist, axiom, reactionary, antagonism, agonist, antagonize, glucagon, stratagem, agonize, 105 more
through Proto-Italic *agō ‘to drive’
reaction, transaction, actively, radioactive, inactive, unambiguous, reagent, retroactive, hyperactivity, ambiguously, 83 more
through Latin agō ‘to act, to behave’
agency, action, agent, act, active, activity, agenda, examine, examination, ambiguous, agile, ambiguity, agility, assay, activate, squat, agitation, enact, radium, cogent, exigent, inexact, redact, 100 more
through Latin āctus
Today it means
noun Something that actuates something else.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- / actuator