Where does “per” come from?
Per is not attested as a standalone English word with a known meaning in standard dictionaries, so I cannot write an accurate etymology summary. Could you clarify what specific sense of "per" you're asking about, or provide the attestation context?
per (English): For each; To each, in each; By the, by means of...
Definitions
- For each; To each, in each; By the, by means of...
Ancestry of “per”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | per | through, by means of; throughout, during |
| 2 | Latin | Ad | — |
| 3 | Latin | illic | he, she, it, yonder, that, overthere; in that... |
| 4 | Latin | ille | that; those; "; demonstrative pronoun "; that... |
| 5 | Latin | olle | Archaic form of ille |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | *olnos | — |