resourceful

The word "resourceful" is a relatively modern English formation, built upon the noun "resource," which entered English in the early 17th century from French ressource. The French term itself derives from the Latin resurgere, meaning "to rise again," composed of re- (again) and surgere (to rise). The literal sense of a "rising again" evolved metaphorically into a "source of renewed supply or aid." By the early 19th century, the adjective-forming suffix "-ful" (meaning "full of") was appended to create "resourceful." The modern meaning, describing someone adept at finding solutions, logically extends from being "full of" the ability to find or create sources of aid and clever strategies.

Structure: resource (source of supply) + ful (full of) - resource: From Latin re- (again) + surgere (to rise), via French ressource. In this compound, it functions as the core noun meaning a source of aid or support. - ful: From Old English -ful, an adjective-forming suffix meaning "full of" or "characterized by."