Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “préface” come from?

préface (French) comes from Old French preface, from Medieval Latin prefatia, from Latin praefātiō, from Latin praefor, from Latin prae-, from Proto-Italic prai-, from Proto-Indo-European preh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European per- — passed , crossed.

préface (French): preface; first-person singular present indicative...

Definitions

  1. preface; first-person singular present indicative...

Ancestry of “préface”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchpreface—
2Medieval Latinprefatia—
3Latinpraefātiō—
4LatinpraeforI say, utter, mention beforehand or in advance; I...
5Latinprae-before; in front; in charge
6Proto-Italicprai-—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpreh₂-before, in front
8Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “préface”

  • préfacer
  • préfacier
  • préface
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →