Etymology Explorer › Middle French

Where does “transition” come from?

transition (Middle French) comes from Latin transitio, from Latin itio, from Latin -tiō, from Latin dissertātiō, from Latin dissertus, from Latin disserere, from Latin dis-, from Latin calceus — small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble.

Ancestry of “transition”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latintransitiotransit, transition, passage; desertion;...
2Latinitioa going, walking, travelling
3Latin-tiō—
4Latindissertātiō—
5Latindissertusarranged, disposed; explained
6Latindissereresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
7Latindis-asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;...
8Latincalceusshoe
9Latincalxlimestone; chalk; the finish line
10Ancient Greekχάλιξsmall stone, pebble; gravel, rubble

Words derived from “transition”

  • transition
  • transitional
  • retransition
  • transitionary
  • pretransition
  • posttransition
  • transitionally
  • nontransition
  • transitionality
  • pretransitional
  • nontransitional
  • posttransitional
  • transitionless
  • transitioner
  • transitionist
  • transition matrix
  • detransition
  • detransitioner
  • multitransitional
  • antitransition
Every word from Ancient Greek χάλιξ →