Etymology

consistent

con·sist·ent
C3O1N1S1I1S1T1E1N1T1

Today it means: Of a regularly occurring, dependable nature. Full definition →

First used late 16th c. in the obsolete sense ‘consisting of’Latin consistens ← Proto-Italic *sistō ← Proto-Indo-European *stísteh₂ti
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
  3. Proto-Italic*kom
  4. Proto-Italic*kom-
  5. Latincon-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*stísteh₂ti
  8. Proto-Italic*sistō
  9. Latinsistō
  10. Latincōnsistō
  11. Latinconsistens
  12. English todayconsistent

Borrowed from Latin cōnsistēntem, present participle of cōnsistō (“to agree with; to continue”), from con- (prefix indicating a being or bringing together of several objects) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“beside, by, near, with”)) + sistō (“to cause to stand; to place, set”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *stísteh₂ti (“to be standing up; to be getting up”), from the root *steh₂- (“to stand (up)”)). By surface analysis, consist + -ent.

Words from the same roots

Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm all →

amonggaincomplygaloreconciergeHansardconglomerateyearningcahootshansecurtilagea-conventiclegezelligi-qualtagh

Proto-Indo-European*stísteh₂ti all →

existexistence

First known use, by meaning

  • from late 16th c. in the obsolete sense ‘consisting of’ Of a regularly occurring, dependable nature.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.