English
incivility
Incivility comes from Latin incivilis ‘impolite, uncivil’, from civilis ‘belonging to a citizen, civic, political,…’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱey- ‘to settle, be lying down’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱey-‘to settle, be lying down’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*keiwis‘society’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEceivis
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcivis‘a citizen’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcivilis‘belonging to a citizen, civic, political, urbane, courteous, civil’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEincivilis‘impolite, uncivil’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEincivilitas
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600incivilité
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1594incivility
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱey-‘to settle, be lying down’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*keiwis‘society’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEceivis
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcivis‘a citizen’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcivilis‘belonging to a citizen, civic, political, urbane, courteous, civil’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEincivilis‘impolite, uncivil’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEincivilitas
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600incivilité
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1594incivility
Earliest quotation: c. 1594, William Shakespeare, The Comedie of Errors: “Courtezan. How say you now? is not your husband…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ḱey- ‘to settle, be lying down’
home, city, hide, cemetery, coma, haunt, hame, ceilidh, 29 more
through Latin ceivis
citadel, civics, civitas, 16 more
through Latin civis ‘a citizen’
civic, civilisation, civilize, 2 more
through Latin civilis ‘belonging to a citizen, civic, political,…’
Today it means
noun The state of being uncivil; lack of courtesy; rudeness in manner.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱey- / incivility