Where does “multipurpose” come from?
Multipurpose derives from English purpose combined with the Latin prefix multi-, from multus meaning many, ultimately tracing through Latin pono and Proto-Indo-European roots bʰuH- and per-.
multipurpose (English): Alternative form of multi-purpose
Definitions
- Alternative form of multi-purpose
Ancestry of “multipurpose”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | multi- | More than one; pertaining to more than one thing;... |
| 2 | English | multi | A multituberculate; Neolamprologus multifasciatus |
| 3 | English | multituberculate | Having molars with multiple rows of cusps; Any of... |
| 4 | English | tuberculate | Having tubercles; Tubercular |
| 5 | Latin | tuberculatus | warty, tuberculate |
| 6 | Latin | tūberculum | a small swelling, bump, or protuberance; a boil, pimple, tubercle |
| 7 | Latin | tūber | a hump, bump, swelling, protuberance; excrescence |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | tūβos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | tewh₂- | to swell; to crowd; to be strong |