Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “precentor” come from?

Precentor comes from French précenteur, from Latin praecentor, one who sings before, ultimately from Latin cano meaning to sing and prae meaning before.

precentor (English): The person who leads songs or prayers in a...

Definitions

  1. The person who leads songs or prayers in a...

Ancestry of “precentor”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchprécenteur—
2Latinpraecentor—
3LatinpraecinoI sing or play before; I predict, foretell
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

Words derived from “precentor”

  • precentorship
  • precentorial
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →