English
inactive
Inactive comes from Latin ināctīvu, from āctīvus ‘active’, 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 CEāctīvus‘active’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEināctīvu
- Frenchc. 1600–presentinactif
- Englishearliest quotation 2016inactive
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 CEāctīvus‘active’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEināctīvu
- Frenchc. 1600–presentinactif
- Englishearliest quotation 2016inactive
Earliest quotation: 2016, Alan Marsh, Political Action in Europe and the USA: “Typically inactives are poorly educated older women. Their lack…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-
suggest, register, essay, gesture, digest, acre, congestion, agrarian, belligerent, progesterone, gestation, ingestion, agitate, ingest, axiomatic, agger, samaj, gerund, gestion, 129 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti ‘to be driving’
strategy, agony, antagonist, axiom, antagonism, agonist, reactionary, antagonize, stratagem, glucagon, agonize, 103 more
through Proto-Italic *agō ‘to drive’
reaction, transaction, reagent, unambiguous, ambiguously, 81 more
through Latin agō ‘to act, to behave’
agency, agent, act, action, actual, agenda, actor, examine, examination, ambiguous, squat, agile, ambiguity, agility, assay, agitation, enact, cogent, actuator, hyperactivity, exigent, actuation, actuate, inexact, redact, 93 more
through Latin āctīvus ‘active’
activity, actively, activate, radioactive, radium, retroactive, 25 more
Today it means
adj Not active, temporarily or permanently.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- / inactive