Where does “underrepresentation” come from?

Underrepresentation derives from Middle English under- combined with English representation, which comes from Latin repraesentatio, a noun formed from the verb praeesse meaning "to be present or in charge."

underrepresentation (English): Insufficient or disproportionately low...

Definitions

  1. Insufficient or disproportionately low...

Ancestry of “underrepresentation”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishrepresentationThat which represents something else; The act of...
2Englishre-again, anew; a completive or intensification of...
3Middle Englishre-
4Old Frenchre-re- again; once more
5Latinrĕ-back, backwards
6Latinprōdūcōto lead or bring forth, forward or out
7Latinprō-forward direction, forward movement
8Proto-Italic*pro-pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
11Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
12Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tósEvery word from Proto-Indo-European per-Every word from Latin rĕ-