- recalcitrant (adj.)
- 1823, from French récalcitrant, literally "kicking back" (17c.-18c.), past participle of recalcitrare "to kick back; be inaccessible," from re- "back" (see re-) + Latin calcitrare "to kick," from calx (genitive calcis) "heel" (see calcaneus). Used from 1797 as a French word in English.
- calcitrant (adj.)
- 1866, as if from Latin calcitrantem (nominative calcitrans) "kicking" (see recalcitrant). Pedantic humor; probably a back-formation.
- recalcitrate (v.)
- "to kick out," 1620s, from Latin recalcitratus, past participle of recalcitrare (see recalcitrant). Sense of "resist obstinately" is from 1759. Related: Recalcitrated; recalcitrating.
- recalcitrance (n.)
- 1845, from French récalcitrance or from recalcitrant + -ance.
