Where does “nonspecific” come from?
Nonspecific derives from English specific and Latin nona, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European new- meaning "new," which developed through Latin novem and nonus into the English nine.
nonspecific (English): Not specific or precise; Not caused by a specific...
Definitions
- Not specific or precise; Not caused by a specific...
Ancestry of “nonspecific”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | specific | explicit or definite; pertaining to a species;... |
| 2 | Old French | specifique | — |
| 3 | Latin | specificus | specific, particular |
| 4 | Latin | faciō | to do |
| 5 | Latin | -torium | nominative neuter singular of -tōrius; accusative... |
| 6 | Latin | -tōrius | ory |
| 7 | Latin | -tor | -er |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -tōr | Forms agent nouns to verb stems |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -tōr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -tor-s | — |