Where does “quaternary” come from?
Quaternary comes from Latin quaternarius, formed from quater and the suffix -arius, ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European kauput-.
quaternary (English): Of fourth rank or order; Of a mathematical...
Definitions
- Of fourth rank or order; Of a mathematical...
Ancestry of “quaternary”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | quaternarius | Containing or consisting of four things;... |
| 2 | Latin | quaterni | four each; four at a time |
| 3 | Latin | quater | four times |
| 4 | Latin | quattŭor | four; 4 |
| 5 | Portuguese | quarto | ordinal form of quatro; fourth; quarter; fourth;... |
| 6 | Old Portuguese | quarto | quarter |
| 7 | Latin | quārtus | fourth |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷeturtos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷetwóres | four |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷe- | and |