English
binary
Binary comes from Late Latin bīnāriu, from Latin bīnus ‘occurring twice, twofold, double, binary’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ ‘two’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dwóh₁‘two’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dwís‘twice, doubly’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dwis‘twice’reconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*dwiznosreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbīnus‘occurring twice, twofold, double, binary’
- Late Latinmodernbīnāriu
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500binarie
- Englishearliest quotation 1987binary
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dwóh₁‘two’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dwís‘twice, doubly’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dwis‘twice’reconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*dwiznosreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbīnus‘occurring twice, twofold, double, binary’
- Late Latinmodernbīnāriu
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500binarie
- Englishearliest quotation 1987binary
Earliest quotation: 1987, Robert W. McBeth, J. Robert Ferguson: “As our initial exposure to the base 10 number…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ ‘two’
two, doubt, vice, dual, duo, twin, vicious, duet, dubious, twain, disparate, twig, deuce, bes, 21 more
through Proto-Indo-European *dwís ‘twice, doubly’
defeat, diplomacy, betwixt, 12 more
through Proto-Italic *dwis ‘twice’
through Latin bīnus ‘occurring twice, twofold, double, binary’
Today it means
adj Being in one of two mutually exclusive states.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ / binary