Where does “precolonial” come from?
Precolonial comes from English colonial, which derives from English colony, ultimately from Latin prae meaning "before" and Latin colo meaning "to inhabit," both rooted in Proto-Indo-European kʷel-.
precolonial (English): Of or pertaining to a historical period before...
Definitions
- Of or pertaining to a historical period before...
Ancestry of “precolonial”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | pre- | Before; physically in front of; anterior;... |
| 2 | Middle English | pre- | — |
| 3 | Latin | prae- | before; in front; in charge |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | prai- | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | preh₂- | before, in front |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
Words derived from “precolonial”