activeactive

Active comes from Middle English actyf, from Old French actif, from Latin āctīvus, from agō ‘to do, act’, ultimately from PIE *h₂éǵeti.

1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éǵeti¹‘to be driving’reconstructed
2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEagō¹‘to do, to act’
3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEāctīvus¹
4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400actif¹
5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500actyf¹‘active’
6. Englishearliest quotation 1910active¹

1. ¹ Wiktionary, English active
2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1910, Emerson Hough, Indianapolis: “This new-comer was a man who in any company…”.