Where does “counterpart” come from?
Counterpart comes from Old French contrepartie, from Old French partie and Latin contra, ultimately deriving from Latin pars meaning part or portion.
counterpart (English): Either of two parts that fit together, or...
Definitions
- Either of two parts that fit together, or...
Ancestry of “counterpart”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | contrepartie | — |
| 2 | Old French | partie | part; section |
| 3 | Old French | partir | to leave; to divide up |
| 4 | Latin | partiō | to share, part, apportion; divide, distribute |
| 5 | Latin | pars | part, side, piece, share; some; faction |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |