Etymograph

English

transactivate

From trans- + activate.

A compound of trans- + active + -ate + activate

Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-

Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti ‘to be driving’

Proto-Italic *agō ‘to drive’

Latin agō ‘to act, to behave’

Latin āctīvus ‘active’

Old French actif ‘active’

Middle English actyf ‘active, reactive’

English active

Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-

Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti ‘to be driving’

Proto-Italic *agō ‘to drive’

Latin agō ‘to act, to behave’

Latin āctīvus ‘active’

Old French actif ‘active’

Middle English actyf ‘active, reactive’

English active

English activate

Today it means

verb To make a host cell replicate the genetic components of a virus

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “transactivate”. 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 / transactivate