Etymology Explorer › Latin

Where does “primus” come from?

primus (Latin) comes from Latin prīsmos, from Proto-Italic priisemos, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.

Ancestry of “primus”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinprīsmos—
2Proto-Italicpriisemosforemost, first
3Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
4Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →