Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “instrumentality” come from?

Instrumentality derives from French -ité, Latin -itas denoting a state or quality, Latin -alis meaning pertaining to, and Latin in combined with Proto-Indo-European ne.

instrumentality (English): The quality or condition of being instrumental;...

Definitions

  1. The quality or condition of being instrumental;...

Ancestry of “instrumentality”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-ityUsed to form a noun from an adjective;...
2Middle English-ite—
3Old French-ité-ity
4Latin-itās—
5Proto-Indo-European-teh₂tsUsed to form nouns representing state of being
6Proto-Indo-European-teh₂Used to form nouns representing state of being
7Proto-Indo-European-tósCreates verbal adjectives from verb stems
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tós →