Where does “presto” come from?
Presto comes from Italian presto, from Late Latin praestus, from Latin praesto meaning "to stand before," ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European steh₂- meaning "to stand."
presto (English): Very fast or quickly; a directive for the...
Definitions
- Very fast or quickly; a directive for the...
Ancestry of “presto”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Italian | presto | ready; fast, quick, nimble; soon |
| 2 | Italian | prestare | to lend; to pay, to give |
| 3 | Latin | praesto | present, at hand, ready; at hand, ready to help;... |
| 4 | Latin | prae- | before; in front; in charge |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | prai- | — |
| 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 |