Where does “temperamental” come from?
Temperamental comes from English temperament, from Latin temperāmentum meaning a mixing in due proportion or balance.
temperamental (English): Of, related to, or caused by temperament; Subject...
Definitions
- Of, related to, or caused by temperament; Subject...
Ancestry of “temperamental”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | temperament | A moderate and proportionable mixture of elements... |
| 2 | Middle English | temperament | — |
| 3 | Middle French | tempérament | — |
| 4 | Latin | temperamentum | a mixture of things in proper proportion or measure |
| 5 | Latin | temperō | to divide duly, qualify, temper, moderate |
| 6 | Latin | tempus | time, period, age; season; kairos, right time,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | tempos | stretch |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | temp- | to extend, stretch, span; to stetch, string; to... |