Where does “avant-propos” come from?
avant-propos (French) comes from French propos, from French proposer, from Old French proposer, from Latin prōpōnō, from Latin prō-, from Proto-Italic *pro-, from Proto-Indo-European pro-, from Proto-Indo-European por- — passed , crossed.
avant-propos (French): foreword
Definitions
- foreword
Ancestry of “avant-propos”, step by step
avant-propos traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French propos
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | propos | aim, intention; remark |
| 2 | French | proposer | to propose, suggest; to propose |
| 3 | Old French | proposer | to propose; to place on top of |
| 4 | Latin | prōpōnō | to set forth, to put forth, to lay out |
| 5 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via French avant
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | avant | beforehand; earlier |
| 2 | Latin | ante | before, in front, forwards; before; before,... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | κλίσις | bending, inclination; a lying down; a place for... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -σῐς | "suffix forming nouns" |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -τις | retained after dentals |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -tis | Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots |