English
insensible
Insensible comes from Late Latin īnsēnsibilis ‘imperceptible, insensible’, from Latin sēnsibilis ‘perceptible, sensible’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sent- ‘to feel’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sent-1‘to feel’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sentiō1‘to feel, to sense, to perceive’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsentiō2‘to feel, to sense, to perceive’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsēnsibilis3‘perceptible, sensible’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEīnsēnsibilis4‘imperceptible, insensible’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400insensible4
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500insensible4
- Englishearliest quotation 1650insensible4
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin sentio, which cites LIV
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin sensibilis
- 3 Wiktionary, Latin insensibilis
- 4 Wiktionary, English insensible
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1650, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […]: “Two small and almost insensible pricks were found upon…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sent-Wiktionary, Latin sentio, which cites LIV‘to feel’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sentiōWiktionary, Latin sentio, which cites LIV‘to feel, to sense, to perceive’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsentiōWiktionary, Latin sensibilis‘to feel, to sense, to perceive’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsēnsibilisWiktionary, Latin insensibilis‘perceptible, sensible’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEīnsēnsibilisWiktionary, English insensible‘imperceptible, insensible’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400insensibleWiktionary, English insensible
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500insensibleWiktionary, English insensible
- Englishearliest quotation 1650insensibleWiktionary, English insensible. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1650, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […]: “Two small and almost insensible pricks were found upon…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *sent- ‘to feel’
through Proto-Italic *sentiō ‘to feel, to sense, to perceive’
through Latin sentiō ‘to feel, to sense, to perceive’
sense, sentence, sensitive, consent, sentiment, scent, consensus, sensation, sensor, resent, sensual, sentient, assent, sensuous, sentience, sensu, 32 more
through Latin sēnsibilis ‘perceptible, sensible’
Today it means
adj Unable to be perceived by the senses.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “insensible”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin sentio, Latin sensibilis, Latin insensibilis. 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 *sent- / insensible