Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “impresario” come from?

Impresario comes from Italian impresario, from impresa meaning an undertaking or enterprise, ultimately from Latin imprehendere meaning to seize or take in hand.

impresario (English): A manager or producer in the entertainment...

Definitions

  1. A manager or producer in the entertainment...

Ancestry of “impresario”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italianimpresarioentrepreneur, contractor; manager, producer,...
2Italianimpresaenterprise, undertaking, exploit, feat,...
3ItalianimprendereTo undertake, or embark upon something
4Latinimprehenderepresent active infinitive of *imprehendō
5Latinprehendō—
6Proto-Italic*praiɣendō—
7Proto-Italicprai-—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpreh₂-before, in front
9Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →