Where does “secondary” come from?
Secondary derives from Middle English secundarie, from Latin secundarius, an adjective formed with the suffix -arius from sequor meaning "to follow," tracing to Proto-Indo-European sekʷ-.
secondary (English): Next in order to the first or primary; of second...
Definitions
- Next in order to the first or primary; of second...
Ancestry of “secondary”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | secundarie | Secondary; lesser in import, meaning or... |
| 2 | Latin | secundārius | second-class, second-rate, of inferior quality |
| 3 | Latin | secundus | second, the ordinal number after prīmus and... |
| 4 | Latin | sequor | I follow, come or go after |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | sekʷōr | follow, come/go after |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sékʷetor | to be following |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sekʷ- | to follow; to see; to say |