Where does “c.” come from?
City comes from Latin civitas, derived from Latin caput meaning "head" with the diminutive suffix -culum, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱey-.
c. (English): Abbreviation of circa; Abbreviation of chapter;...
Definitions
- Abbreviation of circa; Abbreviation of chapter;...
Ancestry of “c.”, step by step
c. traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Latin capitulum
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | capitulum | A head-like object or structure; A chapter,... |
| 2 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
via English circa
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | circa | Approximately, about, around |
| 2 | Latin | circā | — |
| 3 | Latin | circum | about, around; in a circle, all around, on both... |
| 4 | Latin | circus | a circular line or orbit; circle, ring; a... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | κρίκος | ring |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ḱer- | dung, manure, filth; manure, dung, filth |