Where does “cross-multiply” come from?
cross-multiply (English) comes from English multiply, from English ply, from English apply, from Middle English aplien, from Old French applier, from Latin applicō, from Latin ad-, from Latin īn- — in.
cross-multiply (English): To set the product of the extremes of a proportion equal to the product of its means
Definitions
- To set the product of the extremes of a proportion equal to the product of its means
Ancestry of “cross-multiply”, step by step
cross-multiply traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English multiply
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | multiply | To increase the amount, degree or number of; To... |
| 2 | English | ply | A layer of material; A strand that, twisted... |
| 3 | English | apply | To lay or place; to put; To put to use; to use or... |
| 4 | Middle English | aplien | — |
| 5 | Old French | applier | to bend; to apply |
| 6 | Latin | applicō | to apply |
| 7 | Latin | ad- | to; usually prefixed to verbs, in which cases it... |
| 8 | Latin | īn- | un-, non-, not |
| 9 | Latin | în | in, at, on, upon, from (space) |
| 10 | Latin | en | lookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ |
| 11 | Proto-Italic | en | in |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |
via English cross
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | cross | A geometrical figure consisting of two straight... |
| 2 | French | croix | cross; a representation of a cross; the cross as... |
| 3 | German | Kreuz | cross; clubs; sharp |
| 4 | Spanish | Cruz | cross |
| 5 | Portuguese | cruz | cross |
| 6 | Italian | croce | cross |
| 7 | Latin | crux | wooden frame on which criminals were crucified,... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | *kruks | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | sḱer- | to caw, crow |