Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “clown-car primary” come from?

clown-car primary (English) comes from English primary, from Latin prīmārius, from Latin prīmus, from Latin prīsmos, from Proto-Italic priisemos, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.

clown-car primary (English): A primary election with a large number of serious...

Definitions

  1. A primary election with a large number of serious...

Ancestry of “clown-car primary”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishprimaryfirst or earliest in a group or series; main;...
2Latinprīmārius—
3Latinprīmus—
4Latinprīsmos—
5Proto-Italicpriisemosforemost, first
6Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →