Etymograph

English

dormitive

Dormitive comes from French dormitif ‘soporific, causing sleep’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *drem-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*drem-reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dr̥m-yé-tireconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dormiō‘to sleep’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdormīre
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400dormir‘to sleep’
  6. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form‘to sleep’
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘to sleep’
  8. French, derivedc. 1600–presentdormitif‘soporific, causing sleep’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1673dormitive

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*drem-reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dr̥m-yé-tireconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dormiō‘to sleep’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdormīre
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400dormir‘to sleep’
  6. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form‘to sleep’
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘to sleep’
  8. French, derivedc. 1600–presentdormitif‘soporific, causing sleep’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1673dormitive

Earliest quotation: 1673, Molière, Le Malade Imaginere: “Quare Opium facit dormire: ... Quia est in eo…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *drem-

syndrome, dromedary, 25 more

through Proto-Italic *dormiō ‘to sleep’

dormant, 4 more

through Middle French dormir ‘to sleep’

dormer

Today it means

adj Causing sleep.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *drem- / dormitive

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