English
reaction
Reaction comes from Old French reaction, from Latin reāctiō, from reagō ‘to react’, from re- ‘again’ + agō ‘to act, drive’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eǵ-‘to drive’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 do, act’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEreagō‘to act upon again; to react’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEreāctiō‘reaction’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400reaction
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500reaccion
- Englishearliest quotation 1962reaction
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eǵ-‘to drive’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 do, act’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEreagō‘to act upon again; to react’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEreāctiō‘reaction’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400reaction
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500reaccion
- Englishearliest quotation 1962reaction
Earliest quotation: 1962, Eric Hobsbawm, The Age of Revolution. 1789-1848: “And as Europe advanced year by year more deeply…”
Formed from react + -ion
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- ‘to drive’
suggest, register, essay, gesture, digest, acre, agrarian, congestion, belligerent, progesterone, ingest, agitate, gestation, agger, samaj, axiomatic, gerund, gestion, 131 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti ‘to be driving’
strategy, agony, antagonist, axiom, antagonism, agonist, antagonize, stratagem, glucagon, agonize, 104 more
through Proto-Italic *agō ‘to drive’
actively, radioactive, inactive, unambiguous, reagent, hyperactivity, retroactive, ambiguously, 81 more
through Latin agō ‘to act’
agency, agent, act, actual, activity, active, agenda, actor, examine, examination, ambiguous, transaction, squat, agile, ambiguity, agility, assay, activate, enact, radium, agitation, cogent, actuator, exigent, inexact, actuate, actuation, redact, 96 more
Today it means
noun An action or statement in response to a stimulus or other event.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- / reaction