Etymograph

English

recurrent

Recurrent comes from Latin recurrens ‘running or hastening back’, from Proto-Italic *korzō ‘to run’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱers-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱers-1‘to run’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱr̥s-é-ti1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*korzō1‘to run’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcurrō2‘to hurry, hasten, speed’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErecurrō3‘to run or hasten back’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErecurrens4‘running or hastening back’
  7. Englishtodayrecurrent4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin curro
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin recurro
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Latin recurrens
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English recurrent

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱers-Wiktionary, Latin curro‘to run’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱr̥s-é-tiWiktionary, Latin curroreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*korzōWiktionary, Latin curro‘to run’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcurrōWiktionary, Latin recurro‘to hurry, hasten, speed’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErecurrōWiktionary, Latin recurrens‘to run or hasten back’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErecurrensWiktionary, English recurrent‘running or hastening back’
  7. EnglishtodayrecurrentWiktionary, English recurrent

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- ‘to run’

charge, career, carry, rush, cargo, carrier, hurry, carriage, intercourse, chariot, carousel, occurrence, caricature, recourse, 41 more

through Proto-Italic *korzō ‘to run’

corridor, discourse, courier, concurrent, 23 more

through Latin currō ‘to hurry, hasten, speed’

course, occur, curriculum, currency, incur, precursor, concur, 30 more

through Latin recurrō ‘to run or hasten back’

2 more

Today it means

adj Recurring; happening time after time.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “recurrent”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin curro, Latin recurro, Latin recurrens. 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 *ḱers- / recurrent

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