Etymograph

English

indocile

Indocile may come from Latin indocilis ‘ignorant, untaught, indocile’, from docilis ‘docile, teachable’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deḱ- ‘to take’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deḱ-1‘to take’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*doḱ-éye-ti1uncertaincausative of *deḱ-
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dokejō1uncertain
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dokeō1‘to cause to perceive’uncertain
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdoceō2‘teach’uncertain
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdocilis3‘docile, teachable’uncertain
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEindocilis4‘ignorant, untaught, indocile’uncertain
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentindocile4uncertain
  9. Englishtodayindocile4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin doceo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin docilis
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Latin indocilis
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English indocile

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deḱ-Wiktionary, Latin doceo‘to take’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*doḱ-éye-tiWiktionary, Latin doceouncertaincausative of *deḱ-
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dokejōWiktionary, Latin doceouncertain
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dokeōWiktionary, Latin doceo‘to cause to perceive’uncertain
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdoceōWiktionary, Latin docilis‘teach’uncertain
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdocilisWiktionary, Latin indocilis‘docile, teachable’uncertain
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEindocilisWiktionary, English indocile‘ignorant, untaught, indocile’uncertain
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentindocileWiktionary, English indocileuncertain
  9. EnglishtodayindocileWiktionary, English indocile

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *deḱ- ‘to take’

decent, tail, dignity, decoration, decor, paradox, disdain, dogma, dainty, indignation, fonda, indignant, dignitary, deign, digne, 53 more

through Proto-Italic *dokeō ‘to cause to perceive’

documentary, 14 more

through Latin doceō ‘teach’

doctor, document, doctrine, dodo, doctrinal, dox, docent, 16 more

Today it means

adj Unwilling to be taught or instructed; intractable or recalcitrant.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “indocile”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin doceo, Latin docilis, Latin indocilis. 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 *deḱ- / indocile

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