Passivity
/pəˈsɪv.ə.ti/noun
The state of being inactive, receptive, or not acting in response to external forces.
Did you know?Passivity ultimately comes from Latin *passivus*, from *pati* meaning “to suffer” or “to endure,” the same deep root behind words like *passion* and *patient*.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*peh₂-
“to suffer, endure”
Latin
Latin
pati
“to suffer, endure, undergo”
Late Latin
Latin
passivus
“able to suffer; receptive, acted upon”
Old French
Old French
passif
“passive, not acting”
Middle English
English
passif
“passive, suffering action”
Modern English
English
passivity
“the state of being passive”
Explore more surprising origins