Where does “momentarily” come from?
Momentarily comes from English momentary plus the suffix -ly, from Latin momentum meaning "movement" or "impetus," derived from moveo meaning "to move," with the suffix -mentum, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European līg- meaning "to move" and ḱóm meaning "together."
momentarily (English): In a momentary manner; for a moment or instant;...
Definitions
- In a momentary manner; for a moment or instant;...
Ancestry of “momentarily”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | momentary | Lasting for only a moment; Happening at every... |
| 2 | Late Latin | momentarius | of brief duration; brief, momentary, quick;... |
| 3 | Latin | mōmentum | — |
| 4 | Latin | mōvimentum | — |
| 5 | Latin | -mentum | instrument, medium, or result of; e.g.... |
| 6 | Latin | -menta | nominative plural of -mentum; accusative plural... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -mn̥ | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs |