Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “trichotomy” come from?

trichotomy (English) comes from Ancient Greek τριχοτομία, from Ancient Greek τέμνω, from Proto-Indo-European -né- — Forms mostly transitive imperfective verbs from...

trichotomy (English): Division or separation into three groups or...

Definitions

  1. Division or separation into three groups or...

Ancestry of “trichotomy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekτριχοτομίαa cutting in three ways
2Ancient GreekτέμνωI cut, hew; I maim, wound; I butcher, sacrifice
3Proto-Indo-European-né-Forms mostly transitive imperfective verbs from...

Words derived from “trichotomy”

  • trichotomous
  • trichotomize
  • trichotomously
  • ditrichotomous
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -né- →