Where does the -ive suffix come from in 'restive'?
I saw a headline today about the volcano near Manila in the Philippines.
Restive Philippine volcano prompts evacuation
MSN News 12th January 2020
I was not familiar with the word 'restive' and thought it meant 'dormant', but it means the opposite :
- Characterized by erratic or adverse behaviour arising from discontent, disquiet, etc.
Oxford English Dictionary - requires subscription or library card
1: stubbornly resisting control : BALKY
2: marked by impatience or uneasiness : FIDGETY
Merriam Webster
So, it has the meaning 'restless'.
Where is the -ive suffix from ? I cannot think of another similar word. How does that suffix give the word the same meaning as 'restless' ?
It is actually a peculiar sense of restive as explained below:
restive (adj.):
early 15c., restyffe "not moving forward," from Middle French restif "motionless, brought to a standstill" (Modern French rétif), from rester "to remain" (see rest (n.2)). Sense of "unmanageable" (1680s) evolved via notion of a horse refusing to go forward.
(Etymonline)