Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “trigeminal” come from?

Trigeminal derives from Latin tri- meaning "three," from Latin tres, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European tréyes with the same sense.

trigeminal (English): Of or pertaining to the trigeminal nerve;...

Definitions

  1. Of or pertaining to the trigeminal nerve;...

Ancestry of “trigeminal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italiantrigeminotriplet; trigeminal
2Italiangeminotwin; geminous; first-person singular present...
3LatinGeminus—
4Latingeminustwin; double, paired; a twin
5Proto-Italicjemanos—
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanyemH-twin

Words derived from “trigeminal”

  • paratrigeminal
  • encephalotrigeminal
  • trigeminally
  • supratrigeminal
Every word from Proto-Indo-European yemH- →