Where does “Proto-Sinitic” come from?
Proto-Sinitic (English) comes from English proto, from English proto-, from Ancient Greek πρωτο-, from Ancient Greek πρῶτος, from Ancient Greek πρό, from Proto-Indo-European pró, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.
Ancestry of “Proto-Sinitic”, step by step
Proto-Sinitic traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English proto
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | proto | Prototypical; preceding the proper beginning of... |
| 2 | English | proto- | first; most recent common ancestor of; Relating... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | πρωτο- | first, primary |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | πρῶτος | first; earliest; foremost, most prominent |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | πρό | before; before, in front, forth, forward; before,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pró | toward, leading to |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via English Sinitic
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Sinitic | Of or pertaining to Chinese languages; Of or... |
| 2 | Latin | Sina | China |
| 3 | Latin | Sīnae | the Chinese, specifically |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | Σῖναι | the southern Chinese |
| 5 | Arabic | صِين | — |
| 6 | Pahlavi | čīn | — |
| 7 | Sanskrit | चीन | the Chinese people; China; a bandage for the... |
| 8 | Old Chinese | 秦 | {{w|Qin |State of Qin}}, {{w|Qin dynasty}}; Qin |