Where does “comparative” come from?
Comparative comes from Middle French comparatif, from Latin comparativus, formed from the prefix com- meaning "with" or "together" and the suffix -ivus.
comparative (English): Of or relating to comparison; Using comparison as...
Definitions
- Of or relating to comparison; Using comparison as...
Ancestry of “comparative”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | comparatif | Of the comparative degree |
| 2 | Old French | comparatif | comparative |
| 3 | Latin | comparativus | comparative |
| 4 | Latin | comparō | to prepare, get ready, provide, furnish |
| 5 | Latin | compar | equal; similar, comparable; fellow, partner,... |
| 6 | Latin | com- | allomorph of con- |
| 7 | Latin | con- | Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing... |
| 8 | Latin | cum | with, along with; at; -fold |
| 9 | Old Latin | com | Alternative form of cum |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | kom | with, along, at |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 13 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 14 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 15 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 16 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 17 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 18 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
| 19 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |