Where does “preside” come from?
Preside comes from Old French presider, from Latin praesidere, combining the prefix prae- with the root sed- meaning to sit, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European per-.
preside (English): To act as president or chairperson; To exercise...
Definitions
- To act as president or chairperson; To exercise...
Ancestry of “preside”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | presider | — |
| 2 | Latin | praesideo | I sit before or in front of; I sit beforehand; I... |
| 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 |