Etymograph

English

habitual

Habitual comes from Medieval Latin habituālis ‘customary’, from Latin habituō ‘to habituate’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- ‘to grab, take’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰeh₁bʰ-‘to grab, take’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰh₁bʰéh₁yetireconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*haβēō‘to have, hold’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhabeō‘to have’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEhabitus‘character’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEhabituō‘to habituate’
  7. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500habituālis‘customary’
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500habitual‘of one's inherent disposition’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1617same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰeh₁bʰ-‘to grab, take’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰh₁bʰéh₁yetireconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*haβēō‘to have, hold’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhabeō‘to have’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEhabitus‘character’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEhabituō‘to habituate’
  7. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500habituālis‘customary’
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500habitual‘of one's inherent disposition’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1617same form

Earliest quotation: 1617, Zacharias Ursinus, Quest. 90. What is the Quickning of the New Man?: “Thomas Aquinas attributeth preparation vnto free-vvill, but not conuerſion.…”

Formed from habit + -ual

Latin habeō ‘to have, hold, keep’

Latin habitus ‘condition, bearing, state, appearance, dress,…’

Middle English habit

English habit

The story

The adjective is derived from Late Middle English habitual (‘of one's inherent disposition’), from Medieval Latin habituālis (‘customary; habitual’), from Latin habitus (‘character; disposition; habit; physical or emotional condition; attire, dress’) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship); analysable as habit + -ual. Habitus is derived from habeō (‘to have; to hold; to own; to possess’) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- (‘to grab, take’)) + -tus (suffix forming action nouns from verbs).

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- ‘to grab, take’

doubt, endeavor, dubious, javelin, prohibitive, gab, aver, 25 more

through Latin habeō ‘to have’

due, able, average, ability, exhibition, prohibition, debit, prohibit, inhibition, inhibit, inhabitant, debenture, haver, habilitation, 20 more

Today it means

adj Of or relating to a habit; established as a habit; performed over and over again; recurrent, recurring.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- / habitual

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