invasive

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English invasif (“offensive (of weapons)”),^[2][1] borrowed from Middle French invasif,^[3][4][5] or directly from Medieval Latin invāsīvus,^[6][7][8] from Latin invāsus, the past participle of invādō (“to go into, attack, invade”),^[6][4][5] from in- (“in”) and vādō (“to go, walk”).^[6] It is related to invade and invasion.^[5][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of weapons, used for attack, offensive: in 1447–48, in the papers of John Shillingford, mayor of Exeter, of swords and daggers drawn against the peace.^[2] The OED's first record, of the nature of an invasion or attack, is from about 1520, in Barclay's translation of Sallust;^[3] Etymonline dates the word to the mid-15th century.^[6]

Semantic evolution

The early uses were military: Capgrave wrote of weapons both invasif and defensif, and Shakespeare of "arms invasive".^[2][4] From 1597 the word described someone given to invading,^[3] and since 1670 anything that intrudes on another's domain or rights.^[3] Johnson (1755) defined it as entering hostilely on others' possessions, "not defensive".^[9] The 20th century brought the technical senses that are now the commonest: in pathology, of a tumour or disease spreading into healthy tissue (1926);^[3][4] in botany and ecology, of a plant or animal that spreads fast and displaces native species (1928);^[3][4] and in medicine, of a procedure that breaks the skin or enters the body (1972).^[3][10]

Timeline

• 1447–48 – of weapons, offensive.^[2]
• c. 1520 – of the nature of an invasion or attack.^[3]
• 1597 – given to invading.^[3]
• 1670 – intrusive, encroaching.^[3]
• 1926 – in pathology, spreading into healthy tissue.^[3]
• 1928 – of a plant, spreading uncontrollably.^[3]
• 1972 – of a medical procedure, entering the body.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of a plant or animal brought from elsewhere, tending to spread quickly and harm or displace native species: Volunteers spent the weekend clearing invasive vines from the riverbank.^[4][3]
2. Of a disease or tumour, spreading from its point of origin into healthy tissue.^[10][4][3]
3. Of a medical procedure, involving an incision or the insertion of an instrument into the body.^[10][3]
4. Intrusive; encroaching on another's privacy or rights.^[3][10]
5. Relating to or of the nature of an invasion; aggressive or offensive.^[10][4][3]

Word family

• invasively
• invasiveness
• noninvasive
• uninvasive
• preinvasive

Related words

• invade
• invasion
• evade
• pervade

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
6. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
9. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
10. ^ a b c d e Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins