passive

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*peh₁-“to hurt”
2. Latin · derived frompassivus“serving to express the suffering of an action; in late Latin literally capable of suffering or feeling”
3. French · derived frompassif
4. Middle English · inherited frompassyf
5. English todaypassive

From Middle English passyf, passyve, from Middle French, French passif, from Latin passivus (“serving to express the suffering of an action; in late Latin literally capable of suffering or feeling”), from passus, past participle of pati (“to suffer”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peh₁- (“to hurt”); compare patient.

Words from the same roots