Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “self-referential” come from?

self-referential (English) comes from English referential, from English reference, from Middle French référence, from Medieval Latin referentia, from Latin referēns, from Latin referō, from Latin rĕ-, from Latin prōdūcō — passed , crossed.

self-referential (English): That or who refers to itself or oneself; In a...

Definitions

  1. That or who refers to itself or oneself; In a...

Ancestry of “self-referential”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishreferentialOf a word or phrase applied to a particular...
2EnglishreferenceA relationship or relation; A measurement one can...
3Middle Frenchréférence—
4Medieval Latinreferentianominative neuter plural of referēns; accusative...
5Latinreferēns—
6Latinreferō—
7Latinrĕ-—
8Latinprōdūcō—
9Latinprō-—
10Proto-Italic*pro-—
11Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
12Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
13Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
14Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →