Etymograph

English

inductor

Inductor comes from Medieval Latin inductor ‘one who stirs up or rouses one, a chastiser,…’, from Latin induco ‘to lead, bring or conduct in or into somewhere’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dewk- ‘to pull, to draw’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dewk-‘to pull, to draw’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*déwkti‘to pull, to draw’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*doukō‘to lead’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdūcō‘lead’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEinduco‘to lead, bring or conduct in or into somewhere’
  6. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500inductor‘one who stirs up or rouses one, a chastiser, scourger’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1956same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dewk-‘to pull, to draw’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*déwkti‘to pull, to draw’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*doukō‘to lead’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdūcō‘lead’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEinduco‘to lead, bring or conduct in or into somewhere’
  6. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500inductor‘one who stirs up or rouses one, a chastiser, scourger’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1956same form

Earliest quotation: 1956, Charles Odier, Anxiety and Magic Thinking: “In certain families one can find several “inductees” grouped…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *dewk- ‘to pull, to draw’

team, tie, touch, toy, introduce, tighten, tug, tying, tow, duchess, tuck, herzog, tether, taut, untie, tew, teem, 97 more

through Proto-Indo-European *déwkti ‘to pull, to draw’

unproductive, productively, preproduction, abductor, 95 more

through Proto-Italic *doukō ‘to lead’

producer, productive, productivity, reproduction, reproduce, conductor, seduction, byproduct, deduct, conduction, subduction, transduction, reductive, abduct, overproduction, dukedom, ductile, adductor, adduct, 99 more

through Latin dūcō ‘lead’

education, production, produce, product, reduce, duke, introduction, reduction, conduct, educate, dolphin, conn, douche, deduction, doge, educator, duct, subdue, seduce, conducive, duchy, transducer, redux, redoubt, cond, duc, dux, duce, ducal, 118 more

Today it means

noun A passive device that introduces inductance into an electrical circuit.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dewk- / inductor

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