Where does “protoliteracy” come from?
protoliteracy (English) comes from English literacy, from English literate, from Middle English litterate, from Latin litteratus, from Latin littera, from Latin lītera, from Old Latin leitera, from Proto-Indo-European h₂leyH- — to die, disapear; to avoid, elude, decline,...
protoliteracy (English): The state of written language being in its early stages
Definitions
- The state of written language being in its early stages
Ancestry of “protoliteracy”, step by step
protoliteracy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English literacy
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | literacy | The ability to read and write; Understanding of... |
| 2 | English | literate | Able to read and write; having literacy;... |
| 3 | Middle English | litterate | — |
| 4 | Latin | litteratus | learned, educated, scholarly, literate; cultured,... |
| 5 | Latin | littera | a letter of the alphabet; handwriting; letter,... |
| 6 | Latin | lītera | — |
| 7 | Old Latin | leitera | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂leyH- | to smear |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | leyh₂- | to die, disapear; to avoid, elude, decline,... |
via English proto
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | proto | Prototypical; preceding the proper beginning of... |
| 2 | English | proto- | first; most recent common ancestor of; Relating... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | πρωτο- | first, primary |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | πρῶτος | first; earliest; foremost, most prominent |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | πρό | before; before, in front, forth, forward; before,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pró | toward, leading to |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |