Where does “prestigious” come from?
Prestigious derives from Latin praestigiae, meaning illusion or deception, from Latin praestringo meaning to bind or constrain, rooted in Proto-Indo-European preh₂- meaning to grasp or seize.
prestigious (English): Of high prestige
Definitions
- Of high prestige
Ancestry of “prestigious”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | praestigiosus | full of tricks |
| 2 | Latin | praestigiae | nominative plural of praestigia; genitive... |
| 3 | Latin | praestringo | I bind fast; I tie up; I squeeze tight; I... |
| 4 | Latin | prae- | before; in front; in charge |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | prai- | pre-, before |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | preh₂- | before, in front |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |