Etymology and origin of the Latin word instigator
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Derivation
- First attested
- 98–115 Tacitus, Histories More words from the 1st century
- Ultimate origin
- Latin īnstīgō
Etymology tree
From the same root
Forms
īnstīgātor m (genitive īnstīgātōris, feminine īnstīgātrīx); third declension[1]
Etymology
It is from Latin īnstīgō + -tor, an agent noun from the verb meaning “to urge on, incite”.[2][3][1]
Earliest recorded meaning
Tacitus (98–115 AD) has it in the Histories:[4][5] in a mutiny no tribune urges the soldiers on, and each man is his own leader and instigator (sibi quisque dux et instigator).[4][6]
Semantic evolution
L&S counts it as a word of post-Augustan Latin.[4] Besides Tacitus it is found in Apuleius, Ausonius and the jurists, who speak of the instigator of an accusation.[4][7]
In Medieval Latin it could name someone who prompts others to good, such as God as the inspirer of good thoughts, as well as one who incites to evil, the Devil included.[8] Italian has istigatore from it.[7]
Timeline
- 98–115 AD – Tacitus, in the Histories, uses it of mutinous soldiers each urging himself on.[4][6]
- c. 125–175 AD – Apuleius uses it in the Apology.[6][7][5]
- c. 310–394 AD – Ausonius uses it in a letter.[4][5]
Meanings
Noun
- A person who urges on or incites; an instigator.[2][4]
- (Medieval Latin) One who inspires or prompts to good.[8]
Related words
- English instigator
References
- ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ Bianchi, Rossella; Lelli, Olga (2014), VOLI: Vocabolario di latino, Florence: Le Monnier
- ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
- ^ a b c Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
- ^ a b c Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
- ^ a b Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
Borrowed into
- English instigator
Cite this entry
“Instigator.” Etymologically, 7 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/instigator. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.
Last edited on . ·