Where does “millennium” come from?
Millennium comes from Late Latin millennium, derived from Latin mille meaning "thousand" and Latin annus meaning "year," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂et- meaning "to go."
millennium (English): A period of time consisting of one thousand...
Definitions
- A period of time consisting of one thousand...
Ancestry of “millennium”, step by step
millennium traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Late Latin millennium
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Late Latin | millennium | millennium |
| 2 | Latin | -ennium | forming periods of years |
| 3 | Latin | -ennis | — |
| 4 | Latin | annus | year; time; season |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | atnos | year |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂et-no- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂et- | grass |
via Latin millennium
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | millennium | millennium |
| 2 | Latin | mīllennis | — |