Where does “indefinite” come from?
Indefinite comes from Late Latin indefinitus, formed from the Latin prefix in- meaning "not" combined with definitus, itself derived from Latin de- and finis meaning "boundary" or "limit," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰeygʷ-.
indefinite (English): Without limit; forever, or until further notice;...
Definitions
- Without limit; forever, or until further notice;...
Ancestry of “indefinite”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | indēfīnītus | indefinite |
| 2 | Latin | definitus | limited, terminated |
| 3 | Latin | dēfīniō | to bound, set bounds to; to limit |
| 4 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 5 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 6 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 7 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |