Where does “precession” come from?
Precession comes from Middle English precession, from Medieval Latin praecessio, from Latin praecedo (to go before), combining prae (before) with cedo (to go), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European preh₂- and per-.
precession (English): Precedence; The wobbling motion of the axis of a...
Definitions
- Precedence; The wobbling motion of the axis of a...
Ancestry of “precession”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | precessioun | — |
| 2 | Medieval Latin | praecessio | — |
| 3 | Latin | praecēdō | to precede (go before) |
| 4 | Latin | prae- | before; in front; in charge |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | prai- | pre-, before |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | preh₂- | before, in front |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |