Where does “forthcoming” come from?

Forthcoming derives from English coming, itself from English come, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʷem- meaning to go or arrive.

forthcoming (English): Approaching or about to take place; Available...

Definitions

  1. Approaching or about to take place; Available...

Ancestry of “forthcoming”, step by step

forthcoming traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English forthcome

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishforthcomeTo come forth; A coming forth
2Middle Englishforthcomen—
3Old Englishforþcumanto come forth or forward, proceed, succeed,...
4Old Englishcumanto come
5Proto-West Germanickwemanto come
6Proto-Germanickwemanąto come
7Proto-Indo-Europeangʷémtto step, to take a step; to arrive
8Proto-Indo-Europeangʷem-to step

via Middle English forth commyng

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishforth commyng—

Words derived from “forthcoming”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷem- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷémt →Every word from Proto-Germanic kwemaną →