Etymology of the English word instinct
the English word
instinctderived from the Latin word
instinctus (inspiration; instigation; roused, fired; infuriated)
derived from the Latin word
instinguerederived from the Latin word
stinguere (extinguish, put out; annihilate)
derived from the Greek word
stizeinderived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*steig-Date
The earliest known usage of instinct in English dates from the 15th century.
Derivations in English
instinctiveCognates
Dutch
instinct, English
instinst, French
instinct, German
Instinkt, Latin
instinctus, Lithuanian
instinktas, Norwegian
instinkt, Russian
инстинкт, Swedish
instinktUsage
Word found in Modern English
