Etymograph

English

inactively

Inactively comes from French inactif ‘inactive’, from Latin āctīvus ‘active’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eǵ-reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éǵeti‘to be driving’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*agō‘to drive’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEagō‘to act, to behave’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEāctīvus‘active’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEināctīvu
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentinactif‘inactive’
  8. English1500–presentinactive
  9. Englishtodayinactively

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eǵ-reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éǵeti‘to be driving’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*agō‘to drive’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEagō‘to act, to behave’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEāctīvus‘active’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEināctīvu
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentinactif‘inactive’
  8. English1500–presentinactive
  9. Englishtodayinactively

A compound of inactive + -ly

Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-

…

Latin agō ‘to act, to behave’

Latin āctīvus ‘active’

Latin ināctīvu

French inactif

English inactive

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-

suggest, register, essay, gesture, acre, digest, congestion, agrarian, progesterone, belligerent, gestation, ingestion, ingest, agitate, 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, act, agent, action, actual, agenda, actor, examine, examination, ambiguous, squat, agile, ambiguity, agility, assay, radioactive, agitation, enact, cogent, actuator, hyperactivity, retroactive, exigent, actuation, actuate, inexact, redact, 93 more

through Latin āctīvus ‘active’

activity, active, activate, radium, 27 more

Today it means

adv In an inactive manner.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- / inactively

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