Where does “portentous” come from?
Portentous comes from Latin portentosus, from portentus (a sign or omen), derived from portendo (to stretch or point forward), combining por- with tendō (to stretch), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European per-.
portentous (English): Of momentous or ominous significance; Ominously...
Definitions
- Of momentous or ominous significance; Ominously...
Ancestry of “portentous”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | portentōsus | — |
| 2 | Latin | portentus | indicated, pointed out; predicted, foretold |
| 3 | Latin | portendo | I indicate, point out; I predict, foretell,... |
| 4 | Latin | por- | forth, forward, further, onward |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | por- | forth, forward |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |