Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “counter-” come from?

counter- (Middle English) comes from Old French countre-, from Old French contre, from Latin contrā, from Latin ubī, from Latin cubī, from Proto-Italic *kʷuðei.

Ancestry of “counter-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchcountre-Alternative form of contre-
2Old Frenchcontreagainst
3Latincontrā—
4Latinubī—
5Latincubī—
6Proto-Italic*kʷuðei—

Words derived from “counter-”

  • counteract
  • counterproductive
  • counterpoint
  • counterbalance
  • counterfactual
  • counterclockwise
  • counterinsurgency
  • counterintuitive
  • counteracting
  • counterculture
  • countertransference
  • counterclaim
  • counterweight
  • counterparty
  • counterpane
  • countercultural
  • counterintelligence
  • counterexample
  • counterrevolutionary
  • countermeasure
  • counterargument
  • counterforce
  • counteraction
  • counterrevolution
Every word from Proto-Italic *kʷuðei →