Where does “subsecretary” come from?
subsecretary (English) comes from English sub, from English substitute, from Middle English substituten, from Latin substitutus, from Latin substituo, from Latin statuo, from Latin stātus, from Latin stō.
subsecretary (English): An undersecretary
Definitions
- An undersecretary
Ancestry of “subsecretary”, step by step
subsecretary traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English sub
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sub | A submarine; A submarine sandwich: a sandwich... |
| 2 | English | substitute | To use in place of something else, with the same... |
| 3 | Middle English | substituten | — |
| 4 | Latin | substitutus | substituted |
| 5 | Latin | substituo | I place next to, under, or instead of; I... |
| 6 | Latin | statuo | I set up, station; I establish, determine, fix; I... |
| 7 | Latin | stātus | fixed, set, having been set |
| 8 | Latin | stō | to stand |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | staēō | stand |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | sth₂éh₁yeti | to stand |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | *steh₂- | — |
via English secretary
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | secretary | Someone entrusted with a secret; a confidant; A... |
| 2 | Medieval Latin | secretarius | one entrusted with secrets; secretary; a privy... |
| 3 | Latin | sēcrētus | put apart, sundered, severed, separated, having been separated |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ἀγωγός | leading, guiding; guide, escort; leading to |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ἄγω | to lead, fetch, bring along (a living creature), take with |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | ágō | to lead, to guide |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂éǵeti | to be driving |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eǵ- | to drive |