Etymograph

English

offensive

Offensive comes from Middle French offendre ‘to attack’, from Latin offendō ‘to hit, thrust, strike against something’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷʰen-‘to strike’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fendōreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsame form‘hit’reconstructed
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEoffendōas offendere‘to hit’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400offendre‘to attack’
  6. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form‘to attack’
  7. Middle French, derivedc. 1400–1600offensif
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1939offensive

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷʰen-‘to strike’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fendōreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsame form‘hit’reconstructed
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEoffendōas offendere‘to hit’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400offendre‘to attack’
  6. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form‘to attack’
  7. Middle French, derivedc. 1400–1600offensif
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1939offensive

Earliest quotation: 1939, Lin Yu, The "China Incident": “In Central Hupeh, the Japanese launched another offensive from…”

The story

Offendre is from Latin offendere (‘to offend’); see offend.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen- ‘to strike, to kill’

fence, bane, infest, 7 more

through Proto-Italic *fendō

defendant, 6 more

through Latin *fendō ‘hit, thrust’

defense, defence, defend, fend, defensor, 7 more

Today it means

adj Causing offense; arousing a visceral reaction of disgust, anger, hatred, sadness, or indignation.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen- / offensive

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