Etymograph

English

introversion

Introversion comes from Latin intro ‘within’, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁énteros ‘inner, what is inside’, and ultimately from *h₁en ‘in’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁en1‘in’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁énteros2‘inner, what is inside’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEintro3‘within’
  4. New Latinc. 1500–1900intrōversio3
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1654introversion3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₁énteros
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin intro
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English introversion
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1654, Thomas Gataker, A Discours Apologetical: “...their... Fastings, Prayings,... Introversions,... Humiliations, Mortifications...”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁enWiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₁énteros‘in’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁énterosWiktionary, Latin intro‘inner, what is inside’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEintroWiktionary, English introversion‘within’
  4. New Latinc. 1500–1900intrōversioWiktionary, English introversion
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1654introversionWiktionary, English introversion. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1654, Thomas Gataker, A Discours Apologetical: “...their... Fastings, Prayings,... Introversions,... Humiliations, Mortifications...”

Formed from introvert + -sion

Proto-Indo-European *wert- ‘to turn, to rotate, spin’

Proto-Italic *wertō ‘to turn’

Latin vertō ‘to turn’

Latin intrōvertere

English introvert

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₁en ‘in’

inner, 1 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₁énteros ‘inner, what is inside’

interior, introduce, dysentery, enteral, 13 more

through Latin intro ‘within’

enter, entry, entrance, 4 more

Today it means

noun A turning inward, particularly

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “introversion”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *h₁énteros, Latin intro. 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 *h₁en / introversion

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