English
incontinent
Incontinent comes from Latin incontinens ‘not containing, not retaining’, from teneō ‘to hold’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘to stretch, extend’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-1‘to stretch, extend’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tn̥eh₁yéti1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tenēō1‘to hold’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEteneō1‘to hold’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcontineō2‘to hold together, contain’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcontinēns3‘containing’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEincontinens4‘not containing, not retaining’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400incontinent4
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500incontinent4
- Englishearliest quotation 1569incontinent4
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin contineo
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin continens
- 3 Wiktionary, Latin incontinens
- 4 Wiktionary, English incontinent
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1569, Richard Grafton, The Seuenth Age, and Seuenth Part of this Chronicle: “[Jesus] was borne in Bethlem a City of Juda:…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-Wiktionary, Latin contineo‘to stretch, extend’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tn̥eh₁yétiWiktionary, Latin contineoreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tenēōWiktionary, Latin contineo‘to hold’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEteneōWiktionary, Latin contineo‘to hold’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcontineōWiktionary, Latin continens‘to hold together, contain’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcontinēnsWiktionary, Latin incontinens‘containing’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEincontinensWiktionary, English incontinent‘not containing, not retaining’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400incontinentWiktionary, English incontinent
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500incontinentWiktionary, English incontinent
- Englishearliest quotation 1569incontinentWiktionary, English incontinent. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1569, Richard Grafton, The Seuenth Age, and Seuenth Part of this Chronicle: “[Jesus] was borne in Bethlem a City of Juda:…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘to stretch, extend’
tight, obtain, entertainment, tone, tune, ton, maintenance, tender, tonic, tendon, tenacious, tetanus, pristine, pertinent, tantra, countenance, hypotenuse, tendinitis, maintainer, retentive, 65 more
through Latin teneō ‘to hold’
continue, tennis, retain, sustain, tenant, detention, container, retention, tenor, rein, detain, tenacity, abstain, pertain, sustenance, tenet, abstinence, tenement, retinue, tenable, abstention, abstinent, 21 more
through Latin contineō ‘to hold together, contain’
content, contain, continuous, continuum, 4 more
through Latin continēns ‘containing’
Today it means
adj Unable to contain or retain.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “incontinent”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin contineo, Latin continens, Latin incontinens. 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 *ten- / incontinent