Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “precedency” come from?

Precedency derives from English precedent, from Latin -entia (suffix forming abstract nouns), praecedo (to go before), cedo (to go, yield), prae (before), Proto-Italic ke (to go), and Proto-Indo-European preh₂- and per- (to go forward).

precedency (English): Precedence; superiority; The fact of serving as a...

Definitions

  1. Precedence; superiority; The fact of serving as a...

Ancestry of “precedency”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishprecedentAn act in the past which may be used as an...
2Latinpraecēdēns—
3Latinpraecēdō—
4Latinprae-before; in front; in charge
5Proto-Italicprai-—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpreh₂-before, in front
7Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →