Where does “precontroversial” come from?
precontroversial (English) comes from English controversial, from Latin contrōversia, from Latin contrōversus, from Latin versus, from Latin vertō, from Proto-Italic wertō, from Proto-Indo-European wert-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.
precontroversial (English): Before a controversy
Definitions
- Before a controversy
Ancestry of “precontroversial”, step by step
precontroversial traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English controversial
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | controversial | Arousing controversy—a debate or discussion of... |
| 2 | Latin | contrōversia | a quarrel, dispute, debate |
| 3 | Latin | contrōversus | controversial, debatable, disputed |
| 4 | Latin | versus | turned, changed, having been turned; towards,... |
| 5 | Latin | vertō | to turn, turn oneself, direct one's way, to turn about, turn around, revolve |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | wertō | to turn |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wert- | to turn, to rotate |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |
via English pre
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | pre | Before; Precum, Cowper's fluid, pre-ejaculate; To... |
| 2 | Latin | prae | before; in front; in front of |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | prai | before; in front of |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | preh₂- | before, in front |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |