Where does “hetero” come from?

hetero (German) comes from German heterosexuell, from German sexuell, from French sexuel, 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 (German): hetero, straight

Definitions

  1. hetero, straight

Ancestry of “hetero”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanheterosexuellheterosexual
2Germansexuellsexual; sexually
3Frenchsexuelsexual
4Latinsexuālissexual
5Latinsexusdivision; sex; gender
6Proto-Italicseksus—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanséksus—
8Proto-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