English
indictive
Indictive comes from Latin indictivus ‘declared or proclaimed publicly’, from Proto-Italic *deikō ‘to show, indicate’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deyḱ-1‘to show’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*déyḱeti2‘to show, point out’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*deikō2‘to show, indicate’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīcō3‘affirm, declare’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEindīcō4‘to declare publicly, proclaim’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEindictivus5‘declared or proclaimed publicly’
- Englishearliest quotation 1696indictive5
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *déyḱeti
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin dico
- 3 Wiktionary, Latin indico
- 4 Wiktionary, Latin indictivus
- 5 Wiktionary, English indictive
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1696, Basil Kennett, Romae Antiquae Notitia: Or: “The Funus Publicum , which we meet with so…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deyḱ-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *déyḱeti‘to show’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*déyḱetiWiktionary, Latin dico‘to show, point out’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*deikōWiktionary, Latin dico‘to show, indicate’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīcōWiktionary, Latin indico‘affirm, declare’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEindīcōWiktionary, Latin indictivus‘to declare publicly, proclaim’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEindictivusWiktionary, English indictive‘declared or proclaimed publicly’
- Englishearliest quotation 1696indictiveWiktionary, English indictive. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1696, Basil Kennett, Romae Antiquae Notitia: Or: “The Funus Publicum , which we meet with so…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- ‘to show’
teach, toe, token, digit, syndicate, indicative, tache, syndicalism, 32 more
through Proto-Italic *deikō ‘to show, indicate’
through Latin dīcō ‘affirm, declare’
index, preach, predict, dedication, dictionary, dedicate, dictator, ditto, addict, contradictory, dictate, predicament, contradiction, contradict, predicate, ditty, diction, dictum, interdict, dict, 22 more
through Latin indīcō ‘to declare publicly, proclaim’
Today it means
adj proclaimed or declared by authority
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “indictive”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *déyḱeti, Latin dico, Latin indico, Latin indictivus. 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 *deyḱ- / indictive