Where does “hetero” come from?

hetero (Finnish) comes from Finnish heteroseksuaali, from Finnish seksuaali, from Latin sexuālis, from Latin sexus, from Proto-Italic seksus, from Proto-Indo-European séksus, from Proto-Indo-European sek- — to cut, cut off, sever.

hetero (Finnish): heterosexual, hetero; heterosexual; used mainly...

Definitions

  1. heterosexual, hetero; heterosexual; used mainly...

Ancestry of “hetero”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishheteroseksuaaliheterosexual
2Finnishseksuaalisexual person, someone who experiences sexual...
3Latinsexuālissexual
4Latinsexusdivision; sex; gender
5Proto-Italicseksus—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanséksus—
7Proto-Indo-Europeansek-to cut, cut off, sever

Words derived from “hetero”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European sek- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European séksus →Every word from Proto-Italic seksus →
hetero — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer