Where does “exponentially” come from?
Exponentially derives from English exponential plus the adverbial suffix -ly, which comes from Old English -līċ, from Proto-Germanic -līkaz meaning "body" or "form," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots ḱóm and līg-.
exponentially (English): In an exponential manner; rapidly, greatly
Definitions
- In an exponential manner; rapidly, greatly
Ancestry of “exponentially”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | exponential | Relating to an exponent; Expressed in terms of a... |
| 2 | French | exponentiel | exponential |
| 3 | French | -iel | Suffix used to form adjectives. Compare with... |
| 4 | French | -el | To make an adjectival form of a noun; -al |
| 5 | Old French | -el | Suffix that usually denotes a masculine noun |
| 6 | Latin | -ellus | Alternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine... |
| 7 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |