Etymograph

English

deliberative

Deliberative comes from Latin dēlīberō ‘to consider, deliberate’, from lībrō ‘to weigh’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leyH- ‘to pour’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leyH-1‘to pour’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*līðrā2‘ingot’uncertain
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElībra2‘a balance’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElībrō2‘to weigh’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēlīberō3‘to consider, deliberate’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdeliberativus4
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600délibératif4
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1605deliberative4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Italic *līðrā
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin delibero
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Latin deliberativus
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English deliberative
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1605, Francis Bacon, (please specify |book=1 or 2): “A conclusion in a deliberative”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leyH-Wiktionary, Proto-Italic *līðrā‘to pour’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*līðrāWiktionary, Latin delibero‘ingot’uncertain
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElībraWiktionary, Latin delibero‘a balance’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElībrōWiktionary, Latin delibero‘to weigh’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēlīberōWiktionary, Latin deliberativus‘to consider, deliberate’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdeliberativusWiktionary, English deliberative
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600délibératifWiktionary, English deliberative
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1605deliberativeWiktionary, English deliberative. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1605, Francis Bacon, (please specify |book=1 or 2): “A conclusion in a deliberative”

Linked words

through Proto-Italic *līðrā ‘ingot’

litre, rattle, 20 more

through Latin lībra ‘a balance’

level, equilibrium, lira, libra, 10 more

Today it means

adj That deliberates, considers carefully.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “deliberative”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Italic *līðrā, Latin delibero, Latin deliberativus. 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 *leyH- / deliberative

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