Where does “antemillennial” come from?
antemillennial (English) comes from English millennial, from Late Latin millennium, from Latin -ennium, from Latin -ennis, from Latin annus, from Proto-Italic atnos, from Proto-Indo-European h₂et-no-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂et- — grass.
Ancestry of “antemillennial”, step by step
antemillennial traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English millennial
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | millennial | Referring to the 1,000th anniversary of an event... |
| 2 | Late Latin | millennium | millennium |
| 3 | Latin | -ennium | forming periods of years |
| 4 | Latin | -ennis | — |
| 5 | Latin | annus | year; time; season |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | atnos | year |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂et-no- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂et- | grass |
via English ante
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ante | A price or cost, as in up the ante; In poker and... |
| 2 | Latin | ante | before, in front, forwards; before; before,... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | κλίσις | bending, inclination; a lying down; a place for... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -σῐς | "suffix forming nouns" |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -τις | retained after dentals |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -tis | Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots |