Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “intercom” come from?

intercom (English) comes from English intercommunicator, from English inter, from Middle English enteren, from French entrer, from Middle French entrer, from Old French entrer, from Latin intrō, from Latin intra — Contrastive or oppositional adjectival suffix.

intercom (English): an electronic communication system, especially...

Definitions

  1. an electronic communication system, especially...

Ancestry of “intercom”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishintercommunicator—
2EnglishinterTo bury in a grave; To confine, as in a prison
3Middle Englishenteren—
4Frenchentrerto enter
5Middle Frenchentrerto enter
6Old Frenchentrerto enter
7Latinintrō—
8Latinintrawithin; inside; during; less than
9Latininterus—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énterosinside, within
11Proto-Indo-European-terosContrastive or oppositional adjectival suffix
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -teros →