Where does “literate” come from?
literate (Latin) comes from Latin literatus, from Latin lītera, from Old Latin leitera, from Proto-Indo-European h₂leyH-, from Proto-Indo-European leyh₂- — to die, disapear; to avoid, elude, decline,...
literate (Latin): vocative masculine singular of literātus
Definitions
- vocative masculine singular of literātus
Ancestry of “literate”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | literatus | Alternative form of litterātus |
| 2 | Latin | lītera | — |
| 3 | Old Latin | leitera | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂leyH- | to smear |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | leyh₂- | to die, disapear; to avoid, elude, decline,... |