instigator
The origin and history of instigator.
Etymology
Came from Latin īnstīgātor (“stimulator”), from īnstīgāre, the present infinitive of īnstīgō (“to incite, set on, stimulate, rouse or urge”), possibly going back to Proto-Indo-European *(s)teyg- (“to be sharp, to stab; to puncture; to goad”), plus -or (from -ō, a suffix forming masculine agent nouns, from Proto-Indo-European *-h₃onh₂-, a suffix forming nouns denoting authority or burden). It is cognate with French instigateur, and by surface analysis breaks down as instigate + -or.
