Where does “primer” come from?
primer (Middle English) comes from Medieval Latin primarius, from Latin primus, from Latin prismos, from Latin prisemos, from Proto-Italic priisemos, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.
Ancestry of “primer”, step by step
primer traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Medieval Latin primarius
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medieval Latin | primarius | One of the first, or first rank, chief,... |
| 2 | Latin | primus | first |
| 3 | Latin | prismos | — |
| 4 | Latin | prisemos | — |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | priisemos | foremost, first |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via Latin primarium
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | primarium | nominative neuter singular of prīmārius; prayer... |