Where does “preterm” come from?
Preterm comes from English pre- and term, where term derives from Latin terminus meaning boundary or end, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European per- meaning to lead or pass through.
preterm (English): Of a premature birth or baby; A premature birth...
Definitions
- Of a premature birth or baby; A premature birth...
Ancestry of “preterm”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | term | That which limits the extent of anything; limit,... |
| 2 | English | terminal | A building in an airport where passengers... |
| 3 | French | terminal | terminal |
| 4 | Latin | terminalis | boundary; terminal; final, concluding |
| 5 | Latin | Terminus | the deity presiding over boundaries; a personification of the term terminus |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ter- | tender, weak; young creature |
| 7 | Italian | termine | end, close; limit, term, date, time; term, word |
| 8 | Latin | terminus | a boundary, limit, end |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | termenos | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | térmn̥ | boundary, end |