Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “presidential” come from?

Presidential derives from English president, from Latin praesidens meaning "one presiding," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European preh₂- and sed- meaning "to sit."

presidential (English): Pertaining to a president or presidency;...

Definitions

  1. Pertaining to a president or presidency;...

Ancestry of “presidential”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishPresidentAn honorific for the head of state of a republic;...
2LatinpraesideoI sit before or in front of; I sit beforehand; I...
3Latinprae-before; in front; in charge
4Proto-Italicprai-—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpreh₂-before, in front
6Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “presidential”

  • presidentially
  • nonpresidential
  • postpresidential
  • prepresidential
  • unpresidential
  • presidentiality
  • presidentialness
  • prexie
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →