Where does “Pentium” come from?

Pentium is an English trademark formation using the productive Latin suffix -ium, itself descended from Latin -um and -us, Old Latin -os, Proto-Italic -os, and Proto-Indo-European -ós.

Pentium (English): A CPU chip designed and manufactured by Intel, successor to the 486 chip, introduced in 1993

Definitions

  1. A CPU chip designed and manufactured by Intel, successor to the 486 chip, introduced in 1993

Ancestry of “Pentium”, step by step

Pentium traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English pent

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpentConfinement; concealment; Confined in a pen,...
2EnglishpenAn enclosure used to contain domesticated...
3EnglishpenetrationThe act of penetrating something; Specifically,...
4Middle Englishpenetracioun
5Old Frenchpenetracïonpenetration (act, instance of penetrating)
6Latinpenetrātiōpiercing, penetration
7Latin-tiōtion, -ation, -ing
8Latindissertātiō(spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition
9Latindissertusarranged, disposed; explained
10Latindissereresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
11Latindis-asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;...
12Latincalceusshoe
13Latincalxlimestone; chalk; the finish line
14Ancient Greekχάλιξsmall stone, pebble; gravel, rubble

via English ium

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishium
Every word from Ancient Greek χάλιξEvery word from Latin -tiōEvery word from Latin dis-