Where does “preternatural” come from?
Preternatural derives from Latin praeter combined with nascor through the Latin suffix -alis, tracing to Proto-Indo-European per- and ǵenh₁-, meaning to go beyond nature or birth.
preternatural (English): Beyond or not conforming to what is natural or...
Definitions
- Beyond or not conforming to what is natural or...
Ancestry of “preternatural”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | natural | That exists and evolved within the confines of an... |
| 2 | Middle English | natural | intrinsic, fundamental, basic; relating to... |
| 3 | Old French | natural | natural |
| 4 | Latin | nātūrālis | — |
| 5 | Latin | nātūra | — |
| 6 | Latin | nātus | — |
| 7 | Latin | gnātus | — |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | gnātos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵn̥h₁tós | begotten, produced |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵenh₁- | to produce, to beget, to give birth |
Words derived from “preternatural”