Where does “preposition” come from?
Preposition comes from Middle English preposicioun, from Latin praepositio, derived from the root meaning "to place before."
preposition (English): Any of a class of non-inflecting words typically...
Definitions
- Any of a class of non-inflecting words typically...
Ancestry of “preposition”, step by step
preposition traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Position
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Position | A place or location |
| 2 | Middle English | posicioun | Position or location on the body; A announcement... |
| 3 | Old French | posicion | — |
| 4 | Latin | positiō | position, place |
| 5 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 6 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 7 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 8 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 9 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 10 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 11 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 12 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |
via Middle English preposicioun
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | preposicioun | A preposition; an adposition preceding the word... |
| 2 | Old French | preposicion | — |
| 3 | Latin | praepositiō | preference |
| 4 | Latin | praepōnō | to place or set over as chief, commander, or superintendent; to place at the head of or entrust with the charge or command of; to appoint or depute as |
| 5 | Latin | prae- | before; in front; in charge |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | prai- | pre-, before |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | preh₂- | before, in front |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |