Where does “intermediary” come from?
Intermediary derives from French intermédiaire, combining French inter- and Latin inter meaning "between," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European welH- meaning "to turn" or "roll."
intermediary (English): Intermediate; An agent acting as a mediator...
Definitions
- Intermediate; An agent acting as a mediator...
Ancestry of “intermediary”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | intermédiaire | intermediate; intermediary; mean, average |
| 2 | French | intermède | interlude |
| 3 | Latin | intermedius | intermediate; which is between |
| 4 | Latin | medius | middle; half; moderate |
| 5 | Latin | locus | place, spot; a passage of literature; "in the... |
| 6 | Old Latin | stlocus | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | stlokos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | stel- | to put, to place; to locate |