English
retroactive
Retroactive comes from French rétroactif, from actif ‘active’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- ‘to 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 CEago‘to act’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEāctīvus‘active’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400actif‘active’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentactif‘active’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentrétroactif
- Englishearliest quotation 1978retroactive
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 CEago‘to act’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEāctīvus‘active’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400actif‘active’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentactif‘active’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentrétroactif
- Englishearliest quotation 1978retroactive
Earliest quotation: 1978, 1976, Leszek Kołakowski: “Lenin's retroactive view of history was of course nothing…”
first attested First attested in 1610 (as stated in the etymology)
The story
First attested in 1610.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- ‘to drive’
suggest, register, essay, gesture, digest, acre, congestion, agrarian, belligerent, progesterone, 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, glucagon, stratagem, agonize, 103 more
through Proto-Italic *agō ‘to drive’
reaction, transaction, unambiguous, reagent, ambiguously, 81 more
through Latin ago ‘to act’
act, agency, agent, action, actual, actor, agenda, examine, examination, ambiguous, squat, agile, ambiguity, agility, assay, enact, agitation, cogent, actuator, hyperactivity, exigent, actuation, inexact, actuate, redact, 93 more
through Latin āctīvus ‘active’
through Old French actif ‘active’
through French actif ‘active’
Today it means
adj Extending in scope, effect, application or influence to a prior time or to prior conditions
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- / retroactive