Etymology

repulsive

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Today it means: Tending to rouse aversion or to repulse; disgusting. Full definition →

Middle French repulsif ← Medieval Latin repulsivus ← Latin repulsus
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The story

  1. Latin · derived fromrepulsus
  2. Medieval Latin · derived fromrepulsivus
  3. Middle French · borrowed fromrepulsif
  4. English todayrepulsive

Borrowed from Middle French repulsif, from Medieval Latin repulsivus, from Latin repulsus. By surface analysis, repuls(e) + -ive. Compare typologically Polish odpychający (< pchnąć), Russian отта́лкивающий (ottálkivajuščij) (< толкну́ть (tolknútʹ)).

Words from the same roots

Latinrepulsus all →

repulsion

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.