Etymograph

English

inculcate

Inculcate comes from Latin inculcātus ‘stuffed, forced in, having been forced in’, from calcō ‘tread upon’, and ultimately from calx.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcalx1
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcalcō1‘tread upon’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinculcō2‘impress upon, force upon’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinculcātus2‘stuffed, forced in, having been forced in’perfect passive participle of inculcō
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1608inculcate2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin inculco
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English inculcate
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1608, Andrew Willet: “Wee had neede to haue the word of God…”.

Earlier history not traced here. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcalxWiktionary, Latin inculco
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcalcōWiktionary, Latin inculco‘tread upon’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinculcōWiktionary, English inculcate‘impress upon, force upon’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinculcātusWiktionary, English inculcate‘stuffed, forced in, having been forced in’perfect passive participle of inculcō
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1608inculcateWiktionary, English inculcate. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1608, Andrew Willet: “Wee had neede to haue the word of God…”

Linked words

through Latin calx

chalk, calcium, calculus, causeway, recalcitrant, calcareous, calcite, calzone, caulk, 33 more

through Latin calcō ‘tread upon’

quilt, counterpoint, 10 more

Today it means

verb To teach by repeated instruction.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “inculcate”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin inculco. 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 / Latin calx / inculcate

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