Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “primordial” come from?

Primordial comes from Latin primordialis, formed from Latin primus meaning first and the suffix -alis, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European per- meaning forward or through.

primordial (English): first, earliest or original; characteristic of...

Definitions

  1. first, earliest or original; characteristic of...

Ancestry of “primordial”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinprimordialisoriginal, primordial
2Latinprimordiumbeginning; origin; commencement
3Latinprīmus—
4Latinprīsmos—
5Proto-Italicpriisemosforemost, first
6Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “primordial”

  • primordially
  • primordialism
  • primordiality
  • equiprimordial
  • equiprimordiality
  • equiprimordially
  • nonprimordial
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →