English
agility
Agility comes from Latin agilitās ‘agility, mobility, nimbleness, fleetness’, from agō ‘do, act’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- ‘to drive’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eǵ-‘to drive’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‘do, act’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEagilis‘nimble, fleet, quick’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEagilitās‘agility, mobility, nimbleness, fleetness’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600agilité
- Englishtodayagility
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eǵ-‘to drive’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‘do, act’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEagilis‘nimble, fleet, quick’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEagilitās‘agility, mobility, nimbleness, fleetness’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600agilité
- Englishtodayagility
Formed from agile + -ity
Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- ‘to drive’
Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti ‘to be driving’
Proto-Italic *agō ‘to drive’
Latin agō ‘do, act’
Latin agilis ‘agile, nimble’
English agile
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- ‘to drive’
suggest, register, essay, acre, gesture, digest, congestion, agrarian, progesterone, gestation, ingestion, belligerent, ingest, axiomatic, samaj, agger, agitate, gerund, gestion, 128 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti ‘to be driving’
strategy, agony, reactionary, antagonist, axiom, antagonism, agonist, antagonize, stratagem, glucagon, agonize, 102 more
through Proto-Italic *agō ‘to drive’
reaction, actively, transaction, radioactive, inactive, retroactive, unambiguous, reagent, hyperactivity, ambiguously, 80 more
through Latin agō ‘do, act’
act, action, active, actual, agency, actor, agent, activity, examination, examine, agenda, activate, ambiguous, squat, enact, assay, ambiguity, radium, actuator, cogent, agitation, actuation, inexact, exigent, actuate, redact, 97 more
through Latin agilis ‘nimble, fleet, quick’
Today it means
noun The quality of being agile; the power of moving the limbs quickly and easily; quickness of motion
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- / agility