aggressive

Where does the word "aggressive" come from? It comes from Latin aggredi, and was adopted directly into English (1700s).

Aggressive’s story begins in Latin: aggredi meant “to step toward, to approach.” To step toward, to approach, from ad- (toward) and gradi (to step). It reached English by 1700s as aggressive. Narrowed to mean approaching with hostile intent. Today, aggressive means showing readiness to attack, confront, or assert oneself forcefully.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient aggredi "to step toward, to approach", to step toward, to approach, from ad- (toward) and gradi (to step).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1700s aggressive "showing readiness to attack or confront", narrowed to mean approaching with hostile intent.