Where does “undergraduate” come from?

Undergraduate comes from English under- combined with graduate, which derives from Middle English graduate, from Latin gradus (step, degree), from Latin gradi (to walk), from Proto-Indo-European gʰredʰ- (to walk) and h₁en (in).

undergraduate (English): A student at a university who has not yet...

Definitions

  1. A student at a university who has not yet...

Ancestry of “undergraduate”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishgraduateA person who is recognized by a university as...
2Middle Englishgraduat—
3Latingraduātusgraduated
4Latingraduōto graduate
5Latingradusa step, pace; a stage, degree; a rank
6Proto-Italicgraðus—
7Proto-Indo-Europeangʰradʰ-—

Words derived from “undergraduate”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰradʰ- →Every word from Proto-Italic graðus →Every word from Latin gradus →