Where does “modernity” come from?
Modernity derives from Middle French moderne, from Latin modernus, with the abstract noun suffix -itas denoting a state or quality, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -it-.
modernity (English): The quality of being modern or contemporary;...
Definitions
- The quality of being modern or contemporary;...
Ancestry of “modernity”, step by step
modernity traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Latin modernitās
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | modernitās | modernity, modern times |
| 2 | Latin | -tās | ty, -dom, -hood, -ness, -ship |
| 3 | Pali | -tā | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | -tweh₂ | Forms nouns from verbs |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂ | — |