Etymograph

English

rigescent

Rigescent comes from Latin rigēscō ‘to grow stiff’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *Hreyǵ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*Hreyǵ-1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*rigēō1reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErigeō1‘to be stiff’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErigēscō2as rigescere‘to grow stiff’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErigescens2
  6. Englishtodayrigescent2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin rigesco
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English rigescent

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*Hreyǵ-Wiktionary, Latin rigescoreconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*rigēōWiktionary, Latin rigescoreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErigeōWiktionary, Latin rigesco‘to be stiff’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErigēscōWiktionary, English rigescentas rigescere‘to grow stiff’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErigescensWiktionary, English rigescent
  6. EnglishtodayrigescentWiktionary, English rigescent

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *Hreyǵ-

reach, irrigation, rigorous, rigor, 5 more

through Proto-Italic *rigēō

rigidity, 1 more

through Latin rigeō ‘to be stiff’

rigid, rigour, 2 more

Today it means

adj Becoming stiff or numb.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “rigescent”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin rigesco. 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 *Hreyǵ- / rigescent

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