Where does “preponderant” come from?
Preponderant comes from Latin praeponderans, the present participle of praepondero, meaning to weigh more heavily, formed from prae- meaning before or forth and ponderare meaning to weigh.
preponderant (English): Having greater or the greatest weight, quantity,...
Definitions
- Having greater or the greatest weight, quantity,...
Ancestry of “preponderant”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | praeponderans | |
| 2 | Latin | praepondero | I preponderate |
| 3 | Latin | prae- | before; in front; in charge |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | prai- | pre-, before |
| 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 |