Where does “preeminent” come from?

Preeminent derives from French prééminent, from Latin praeminens meaning "standing out before others," the present participle of praeminēre.

preeminent (English): Exceeding others in quality or rank; of...

Definitions

  1. Exceeding others in quality or rank; of...

Ancestry of “preeminent”, step by step

preeminent traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Latin praeēminēns

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinpraeēminēns—
2LatinpraeemineoI project forward; I am prominent; I surpass,...
3Latinprae-before; in front; in charge
4Proto-Italicprai-pre-, before
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpreh₂-before, in front
6Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

via Middle French preeminent

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchpreeminent—

Words derived from “preeminent”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →Every word from Proto-Indo-European per- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European preh₂- →