Where does “nonpoint” come from?
Nonpoint derives from English point and Latin nona, ultimately from Latin punctum meaning a small mark or dot made by pricking.
nonpoint (English): Not from one single determined point source
Definitions
- Not from one single determined point source
Ancestry of “nonpoint”, step by step
nonpoint traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English point
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | point | A discrete division of something; A sharp... |
| 2 | Middle English | point | — |
| 3 | Old French | point | a sting; a prick; moment; time; dot |
| 4 | Latin | pūnctum | point |
| 5 | Latin | punctus | pricked, punctured, pierced, having been pricked;... |
| 6 | Latin | -tus | Forms the past participle of verbs; Forms... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -tus | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -tus | Derives action nouns from verb roots |