Where does “counterexample” come from?
Counterexample comes from Middle English exaumple, Old French essample, and Latin exemplum, combined with the Latin prefix contra meaning against.
counterexample (English): An exception to a proposed general rule; a...
Definitions
- An exception to a proposed general rule; a...
Ancestry of “counterexample”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | example | Something that is representative of all such... |
| 2 | Middle English | example | — |
| 3 | Old French | example | — |
| 4 | Old French | essample | Alternative form of essainple; example |
| 5 | Latin | exemplum | a sample; an example; a warning example, lesson,... |
| 6 | Latin | eximō | to take out, take away, remove or extract |
| 7 | Latin | emo | I buy, purchase; I acquire, procure |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | emō | to buy, to purchase |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁em- | to take; to distribute |