Where does “promptitude” come from?
Promptitude comes from Latin promptitudo, derived from promptus (ready, prepared), from promere (to bring forth), combining Latin pro (forward) with Proto-Indo-European bʰuH- (to grow or swell).
promptitude (English): The quality of being prompt; alacrity
Definitions
- The quality of being prompt; alacrity
Ancestry of “promptitude”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | promptitudo | promptitude |
| 2 | Latin | prōmptus | a taking forth |
| 3 | Latin | prōmō | to take or bring out or forth, produce, bring to light |
| 4 | Latin | prō | for |
| 5 | Latin | ratus | considered, having been considered; established,... |
| 6 | Latin | rēōr | to reckon, calculate |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | rēōr | to reckon, to calculate; to think, to deem, to... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂reh₁- | to think, reason; to arrange |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂er- | to fit, to fix, to put together |