Etymograph

English

recursive

Recursive comes from New Latin recursīvus, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- ‘to run’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱers-1‘to run’root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. New Latinc. 1500–1900recursīvus1
  3. Englishtodayrecursive1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English recursive

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱers-Wiktionary, English recursive‘to run’root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. New Latinc. 1500–1900recursīvusWiktionary, English recursive
  3. EnglishtodayrecursiveWiktionary, English recursive

Formed from recurse + -ive

Linked words

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

course, charge, carry, career, current, rush, carrier, cargo, occur, hurry, currency, corridor, carriage, curriculum, courier, chariot, carousel, corral, incur, caricature, concur, hurrah, precursor, corsair, cursor, courant, hussar, succour, carrack, 45 more

Today it means

adj Drawing upon, invoking, or referring back to itself.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “recursive”. 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- / recursive

Shirt and support for this word