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
- Occurring after a verb
Ancestry of “postverbal”, step by step
postverbal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English post
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | post | A long dowel or plank protruding from the ground;... |
| 2 | Middle French | poste | — |
| 3 | Italian | posta | mail, post; post office; stakes |
| 4 | Latin | probāre | — |
| 5 | Latin | probō | to approve, permit, commend |
| 6 | Latin | Probus | good, serviceable, excellent, superior, able |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pro-bhwo- | being in front, prominent |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via English verbal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | verbal | Of or relating to words; Concerned with the... |
| 2 | Old French | verbal | — |
| 3 | Late Latin | verbalis | belonging to a word; wordy, verbal |
| 4 | Latin | verbum | word; proverb, saying; verb |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | λόγος | That which is said: word, sentence, speech,... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | λέγω | I put in order, arrange, gather; I choose, count,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ- | to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to... |