Where does “premise” come from?
premise (Middle English) comes from Old French premisse, from Medieval Latin premissa, from Latin praemitto, from Latin prae-, from Proto-Italic prai-, from Proto-Indo-European preh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.
Ancestry of “premise”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | premisse | premise |
| 2 | Medieval Latin | premissa | set before; Alternative form of praemissa |
| 3 | Latin | praemitto | I send forward or ahead |
| 4 | Latin | prae- | before; in front; in charge |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | prai- | pre-, before |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | preh₂- | before, in front |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |