Where does “probability” come from?
Probability comes from Middle French probabilité, from Latin probabilitas, combining the Latin root probare meaning to assent to or approve with the suffix -tās, ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European per- and bʰuH-.
probability (English): The state of being probable; likelihood; An event...
Definitions
- The state of being probable; likelihood; An event...
Ancestry of “probability”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | probabilité | — |
| 2 | Latin | probabilitas | probability; credibility |
| 3 | Latin | probābilis | likely, credible, probable, plausible |
| 4 | Latin | probāre | — |
| 5 | Latin | probō | to approve, permit, commend |
| 6 | Latin | Probus | good, serviceable, excellent, superior, able |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pro-bhwo- | being in front, prominent |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |