Where does “competition” come from?
Competition comes from French compétition, from Late Latin competitio, a nominalization of Latin petere meaning to seek or strive, with the prefix com- meaning together.
competition (English): The action of competing; A contest for a prize or...
Definitions
- The action of competing; A contest for a prize or...
Ancestry of “competition”, step by step
competition traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French compétition
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | compétition | competition |
| 2 | Late Latin | competitio | rivalry; competition |
| 3 | Latin | competō | to come together, meet |
| 4 | Latin | cōn- | Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing together of several objects |
| 5 | Latin | cum | with, along with; at; -fold |
| 6 | Old Latin | com | Alternative form of cum |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | kom | with, along, at |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 10 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 11 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 12 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 13 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 14 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 15 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
| 16 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |
via Latin competītiō
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | competītiō | rivalry |
| 2 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 3 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 4 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 5 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 6 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 7 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 8 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |