Etymology of the English word ingenuity
the English word
ingenuityderived from the Latin word
ingenuitas (status, quality of free-born person; nobility of character)
derived from the Latin word
ingenuus (natural, indigenous; free-born)
derived from the Latin word
gignere (give birth to, bring forth, bear)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*genÉ™-Date
The earliest known usage of ingenuity in English dates from the 16th century.
Usage
Word found in Modern English
