Etymology

pertinacity

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Today it means: The state or characteristic of being pertinacious. Full definition →

Middle French pertinacité ← Old French pertinace
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The story

  1. Old French · derived frompertinace“obstinate, stubborn”
  2. Middle French · derived frompertinacité
  3. English todaypertinacity

From Middle French pertinacité, from Old French pertinace (“obstinate, stubborn”).

Words from the same roots

Old Frenchpertinace all →

pertinacious

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.