English
competitrix
Competitrix comes from Latin competītrīx ‘competitor (female)’, from competō ‘to come together’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- ‘to spread out’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peth₂-1‘to spread out’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*péth₂eti1‘to fly’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpetō1‘to seek, aim, head for’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcompetō2‘to come together’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcompetītrīx3‘competitor (female)’
- Englishtodaycompetitrix3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin competo
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin competitrix
- 3 Wiktionary, English competitrix
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peth₂-Wiktionary, Latin competo‘to spread out’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*péth₂etiWiktionary, Latin competo‘to fly’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpetōWiktionary, Latin competo‘to seek, aim, head for’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcompetōWiktionary, Latin competitrix‘to come together’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcompetītrīxWiktionary, English competitrix‘competitor (female)’
- EnglishtodaycompetitrixWiktionary, English competitrix
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- ‘to spread out’
pass, mile, expansion, expand, patent, pen, helicopter, feather, spawn, symptom, expanse, pennant, pinion, patina, patella, pata, penna, 83 more
through Proto-Indo-European *péth₂eti ‘to fly’
through Latin petō ‘to seek, aim, head for’
repeat, petition, perpetual, perpetuate, impetus, perpetuity, petulant, impetuous, petulance, 16 more
Today it means
noun A female competitor.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “competitrix”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin competo, Latin competitrix. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- / competitrix