Where does “fingerprinting” come from?
Fingerprinting derives from English fingerprint, from English print, from Middle English finger, from Old English finger, from Proto-Germanic fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European pénkʷrós, meaning a five-part extremity.
fingerprinting (English): present participle of fingerprint; An act of...
Definitions
- present participle of fingerprint; An act of...
Ancestry of “fingerprinting”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | fingerprint | The natural pattern of ridges on the tips of... |
| 2 | English | Of, relating to, or writing for printed... | |
| 3 | Middle English | printen | — |
| 4 | Middle English | emprinten | — |
| 5 | Old French | empreinter | — |
| 6 | Old French | empreindre | — |
| 7 | Latin | imprimere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 8 | Latin | imprimo | I press, impress; I print, imprint, stamp |
| 9 | Latin | īn- | un-, non-, not |
| 10 | Latin | în | in, at, on, upon, from (space) |
| 11 | Latin | en | lookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ |
| 12 | Proto-Italic | en | in |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |