Etymologically
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productivus

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [proː.dʊkˈtiː.wʊs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [pro.dukˈtiː.vus][1]

Forms

prōductīvus (feminine prōductīva, neuter prōductīvum); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin prōdūcō (“to lead forth; to lengthen”) + -īvus, built on ⟨prōduct-⟩, the stem of the participle prōductus.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Cassiodorus (c. 485–c. 580 AD)[4] uses it in the Historia tripartita of words such as semper that express an extension of time;[2] L&S render it “fit for prolongation”.[5]

Semantic evolution

A Late Latin glossary uses it for a derived noun, one formed from another word.[2]

In Medieval Latin it came to mean “productive, generative”: British scholastic writers such as Grosseteste and Duns Scotus speak of a power or principle productive of something.[6] English productive (1610s) comes from French productif and directly from the Medieval Latin word.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 485–c. 580 AD – Cassiodorus uses it of words that express duration.[2][4]
  • 1610s – English borrows it as productive.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. (Late Latin) Expressing an extension or prolongation (of time); fit for lengthening.[2][5]
  2. (Late Latin, grammar) Derivative, derived from another word.[2][1]
  3. (Medieval Latin) Productive, generative (of something).[6]

Word family

  • prōductīvitās

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ 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