Where does “imprecise” come from?
Imprecise derives from Middle French imprécis, from Latin impraecisus, composed of Latin in- (not) and praecisus (cut off, abrupt), the past participle of caedere (to cut), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European per- (to strike or cut).
imprecise (English): not precise or exact; containing some error or...
Definitions
- not precise or exact; containing some error or...
Ancestry of “imprecise”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | precise | exact, accurate; consistent, clustered close... |
| 2 | Middle French | précis | — |
| 3 | Latin | praecīsus | shortened, severed |
| 4 | Latin | praecīdō | to cut off in front or through; shorten; sever, separate |
| 5 | Latin | prae | before; in front; in front of |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | prai | before; in front of |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | preh₂- | before, in front |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |