Where does “preterminal” come from?

preterminal (English) comes from English terminal, from French terminal, from Latin terminalis, from Latin Terminus, from Proto-Indo-European ter-, from Italian termine, from Latin terminus, from Proto-Italic termenos — boundary, end.

preterminal (English): Before the end

Definitions

  1. Before the end

Ancestry of “preterminal”, step by step

preterminal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English terminal

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishterminalA building in an airport where passengers...
2Frenchterminalterminal
3Latinterminalisboundary; terminal; final, concluding
4LatinTerminusthe deity presiding over boundaries; a personification of the term terminus
5Proto-Indo-Europeanter-tender, weak; young creature
6Italiantermineend, close; limit, term, date, time; term, word
7Latinterminusa boundary, limit, end
8Proto-Italictermenos
9Proto-Indo-Europeantérmn̥boundary, end

via English pre

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpreBefore; Precum, Cowper's fluid, pre-ejaculate; To...
2Latinpraebefore; in front; in front of
3Proto-Italicpraibefore; in front of
4Proto-Indo-Europeanpreh₂-before, in front
5Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European térmn̥Every word from Proto-Italic termenosEvery word from Proto-Indo-European ter-