Where does “umpteen” come from?
umpteen (English) comes from English umpty, from English UMP, from English umpire, from Middle English noumper, from Old French nonper, from Old French per, from Latin pār, from Proto-Indo-European perH- — passed , crossed.
umpteen (English): API; Relatively large but unspecified in number
Definitions
- API; Relatively large but unspecified in number
Ancestry of “umpteen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | umpty | indefinite in number; unspecified |
| 2 | English | UMP | Initialism of uridine monophosphate |
| 3 | English | umpire | The official who presides over a tennis game sat... |
| 4 | Middle English | noumper | An arbitrator; an umpire |
| 5 | Old French | nonper | odd number, not even |
| 6 | Old French | per | by; equal |
| 7 | Latin | pār | even (of a number) |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | perH- | to fly; fore, first; exchange |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |