Where does “onto-” come from?
onto- (English) comes from Ancient Greek ὄντος, from Ancient Greek ὤν, from Ancient Greek εἰμί, from Proto-Hellenic ehmi, from Proto-Indo-European h₁ésmi, from Proto-Indo-European h₁ēs-.
onto- (English): being
Ancestry of “onto-”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Ancient Greek | ὄντος | masculine genitive singular of ὤν , present... |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | ὤν | present participle of εἰμί; actual, real |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | εἰμί | To be, exist; live; To be; it is possible |
| 4 | Proto-Hellenic | ehmi | to be |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁ésmi | first-person singular present indicative of... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁ēs- | — |
Words derived from “onto-”