Where does “quaternion” come from?
quaternion (English) comes from Middle English quaternioun, from Latin quaterniō, from Latin quaternī, from Latin quaternus, from Latin quater, from Latin quattŭor, from Portuguese quarto, from Old Portuguese quarto — and.
quaternion (English): A group or set of four people or things; A word...
Definitions
- A group or set of four people or things; A word...
Ancestry of “quaternion”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | quaternioun | An ancient Roman leader of a squad of four soldiers |
| 2 | Latin | quaterniō | The number four (e.g. on a dice) |
| 3 | Latin | quaternī | — |
| 4 | Latin | quaternus | four each; four at a time |
| 5 | Latin | quater | four times |
| 6 | Latin | quattŭor | four; 4 |
| 7 | Portuguese | quarto | ordinal form of quatro; fourth; quarter; fourth;... |
| 8 | Old Portuguese | quarto | quarter |
| 9 | Latin | quārtus | fourth |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷeturtos | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷetwóres | four |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷe- | and |