influential
Meaning
having a lot of influence on someone or something
having the power or status to affect change or command respect
Structure
Usage
his theories were highly influential in the development of modern physics.
she comes from a politically influential family.
the book was the most influential work of its decade.
Etymology
the word "influential" is a tributary of the river of words stemming from the latin verb influere, meaning "to flow into". this verb itself is composed of in- (into) and fluere (to flow). the original, literal sense was astrological, describing an ethereal fluid believed to stream from the stars and flow into human affairs, thus affecting destiny. over time, this concrete notion of a flowing force was abstracted into the general concept of a power that shapes events or sways opinions. the suffix -ential was later appended to the present participle form (influens) to create the adjective, characterizing a person or thing that possesses this flowing, shaping power.
Analysis
- in: latin origin, meaning "into, in, on". serves as an intensive prefix in this compound. - flu: latin origin, from fluere (to flow). serves as the core root conveying the sense of "flow". - ential: latin origin, a compound suffix combining -ent- (present participle/adjectival) + -ial (relating to), forming an adjective meaning "characterized by or pertaining to".