Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “immediate” come from?

Immediate comes from Old French immediat, from Latin immediatus, meaning "not in the middle," composed of Latin in- "not" and mediatus "placed in the middle," from medius "middle," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European médʰyos of the same meaning.

immediate (English): Happening right away, instantly, with no delay;...

Definitions

  1. Happening right away, instantly, with no delay;...

Ancestry of “immediate”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchimmediat—
2Late Latinimmediatusimmediate

Words derived from “immediate”

  • immediately
  • immediateness
  • immediatism
  • nonimmediate
  • immediatist
Every word from Late Latin immediatus →