Etymology

maladaptive

M3A1L1A1D2A1P3T1I1V4E1

Today it means: Of behavior, showing inadequate or counterproductive mental and behavioral adaptation to a new situation. Full definition →

English adaptive ← Middle English *adapten ← Latin adaptō
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*(s)mel-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*(s)molos?
  3. Proto-Italic*malos
  4. Latinmalus
  5. Latinmale
  6. Old Frenchmal-
  7. Englishmal-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*h₂éd
  9. Proto-Italic*ad
  10. Proto-Italic*ad-
  11. Latinad-
  12. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ep-
  13. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ptós
  14. Proto-Italic*aptos
  15. Latinaptus
  16. Proto-Indo-European[Term?]
  17. Proto-Italic*apjō
  18. Latinapiō
  19. Latinaptō
  20. Latinadaptō
  21. Middle English*adapten
  22. Englishadapt
  23. Englishadaptive
  24. English todaymaladaptive

From mal- + adaptive.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.