Etymograph

English

representative

Representative comes from Middle French representatif ‘representative’, and goes back to Medieval Latin repraesentātīvus.

  1. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500repraesentātīvus1
  2. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600representatif1‘representative’
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500representative1
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1751representative1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English representative
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1751, Tobias Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […]: “This pathetic remonstrance had the desired effect upon his…”.

Lineage

  1. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500repraesentātīvusWiktionary, English representative
  2. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600representatifWiktionary, English representative‘representative’
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500representativeWiktionary, English representative
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1751representativeWiktionary, English representative. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1751, Tobias Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […]: “This pathetic remonstrance had the desired effect upon his…”

Equivalent to represent + -ative

Latin sum ‘to be’

…

Latin praesens ‘present’

Latin praesentō ‘to present’

Latin repraesentō ‘to show’

Old French représenter

English represent

Every English word from Medieval Latin repraesentātīvus

Today it means

adj Typical; having the same properties or interest as a larger group.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “representative”. 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 / Medieval Latin repraesentātīvus / representative

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