Where does “premature” come from?
Premature comes from Latin praematurus, formed from prae and maturus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to go or move forward.
premature (English): occurring before a state of readiness or maturity...
Definitions
- occurring before a state of readiness or maturity...
Ancestry of “premature”, step by step
premature traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English mature
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mature | Fully developed; grown up in terms of physical... |
| 2 | Middle English | mature | mature ripe |
| 3 | Middle French | mature | — |
| 4 | Latin | mātūrus | mature, full-grown |
| 5 | Proto-Celtic | matus | — |
| 6 | Czech | -mat | — |
| 7 | Czech | automat | automaton; vending machine, automat |
| 8 | German | automat | automaton, machine |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | αὐτόματον | accident, mere chance |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | αὐτόματος | self-willed, unbidden; self-moving,... |
| 11 | Ancient Greek | μέμαα | to wish eagerly, strive, yearn, desire |
| 12 | Ancient Greek | μέμονα | to be minded or inclined; to be eager; to hasten |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | memóne | to think, to be mindful; to remember |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | men- | to think, mind; spiritual activity; to stay,... |