Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “postverbal” come from?

Postverbal comes from English post- combined with verbal, which derives from Latin verbum meaning "word," from Proto-Indo-European wer-.

postverbal (English): Occurring after a verb

Definitions

  1. Occurring after a verb

Ancestry of “postverbal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpostA long dowel or plank protruding from the ground;...
2Middle Frenchposte—
3Italianpostamail, post; post office; stakes
4Latinprobāre—
5Latinprobō—
6LatinProbus—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-bhwo-being in front, prominent
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
10Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
11Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “postverbal”

  • postverbally
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →