Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “supernatant” come from?

Supernatant comes from Latin supernatans, the present participle of supernatāre, formed from super- (over) and natāre (to swim), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)neh₂- (to swim or flow).

supernatant (English): Lying above a sediment or precipitate; Floating...

Definitions

  1. Lying above a sediment or precipitate; Floating...

Ancestry of “supernatant”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishsuper-above, over, or upon; superior in size, quality,...
2Latinsuper-super-; over, above
3Latinsuper"accusative" above, on the top of, upon;...
4Latineks-uper—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanupérialternative reconstruction of *upér
6Proto-Indo-Europeanupérabove; over
7Proto-Indo-Europeanupóunder, below
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ewp-—

Words derived from “supernatant”

  • ultrasupernatant
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →