Where does “fractional” come from?
Fractional derives from English fraction, which comes from Latin fractio, a noun formed from the root bʰreg- meaning to break.
fractional (English): Pertaining to a fraction; Divided; fragmentary;...
Definitions
- Pertaining to a fraction; Divided; fragmentary;...
Ancestry of “fractional”, step by step
fractional traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English fraction
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | fraction | A part of a whole, especially a comparatively... |
| 2 | Middle English | fraccioun | a breaking |
| 3 | Occitan | fraccion | a part; fraction |
| 4 | Latin | fractio | the action of breaking; fraction |
| 5 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 6 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 7 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 8 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 9 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 10 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 11 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 12 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |
via French fractionnel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | fractionnel | fractional |
| 2 | French | -el | To make an adjectival form of a noun; -al |
| 3 | Old French | -el | Suffix that usually denotes a masculine noun |
| 4 | Latin | -ellus | Alternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine... |
| 5 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |