Etymology

incentive

in·cen·tive
I1N1C3E1N1T1I1V4E1

Today it means: Something that motivates, rouses, or encourages. Full definition →

Medieval Latin incentīvus
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The story

  1. Medieval Latin · borrowed fromincentīvus“that strikes up or sets the tune”
  2. English todayincentive

From Medieval Latin incentīvus (“that strikes up or sets the tune”), from incinō (“to strike up”), from in- (“in, on”) + canō (“to sing”) + -ive. The formation appears to have been influenced by incendō (“to set on fire”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.