incisive
/ɪnˈsɪsɪv/adjective
Sharp, clear, and penetrating in thought or expression
From Latin incīdō (stem incīs-) (to cut into or through).
Lineage
incīdō
-īvus
LatinRomanceGermanicnot directly attestedSelect a stage for details, or drag it
The story
Picture a surgeon making a clean cut: that image is still inside incisive, which came through Latin incīsīvus and Old French incisif. Its Latin base, incīdō, meant “to cut into,” and the suffix -īvus turned that action into an adjective. By the early 15th century, English used the word in a literal, cutting sense; by 1850, it could describe a mind or remark that cuts straight to the point. The surprise is that a devastatingly incisive question is, metaphorically, doing what a blade does: slicing through the clutter.