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Today it means

instigate

to bring about

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Where does the word "instigate" come from? It comes from Latin instigare, and was adopted directly into English (1540s).

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Where does the word "instigate" come from? It comes from Latin instigare, and was adopted directly into English (1540s).

Instigate’s story begins in Latin: instigare meant “to urge on.” 'in-' plus a root 'stig-', to prick. It reached English by 1540s as instigate. 'instigator' followed. Today, instigate means to bring about.

  1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient instigare "to urge on", 'in-' plus a root 'stig-', to prick.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1540s instigate "to urge on", 'instigator' followed.

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