Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “simultaneous” come from?

Simultaneous comes from Medieval Latin simultaneus, derived from Latin simultim and simul, both related to Latin similis, tracing back through Proto-Italic semalis to Proto-Indo-European sem-.

simultaneous (English): Happening at the same moment; To be solved for...

Definitions

  1. Happening at the same moment; To be solved for...

Ancestry of “simultaneous”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Medieval Latinsimultaneusacting together; existing at the same time
2LatinsimulAt the same time; simultaneously; As soon as
3Latinsimilissimilar
4Proto-Italicsemalis—
5Proto-Indo-Europeansem-together, one

Words derived from “simultaneous”

  • simultaneously
  • simulcast
  • simultaneousness
  • nonsimultaneous
  • nonsimultaneously
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sem- →