English
contemporary
Contemporary comes from Medieval Latin contemporārius, from con- ‘with’ + temporārius, from tempus ‘time’.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tempos‘stretch (of time)’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtempus‘time’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtemporārius‘of time; temporary’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500contemporārius‘contemporary’
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1667contemporary
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tempos‘stretch (of time)’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtempus‘time’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtemporārius‘of time; temporary’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500contemporārius‘contemporary’
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1667contemporary
Earliest quotation: a. 1667, Abraham Cowley: “A neighb'ring Wood born with himself he sees, /…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *temp- ‘to stretch, string’
antenna, contemplate, templar, contemplation, 22 more
through Proto-Italic *tempos ‘stretch’
temperature, temporal, temperate, temperament, tamper, temperance, tempera, 15 more
through Latin tempus ‘time’
temple, tense, temper, template, tempo, matin, tempestuous, tempura, 14 more
Today it means
adj From the same time period, coexistent in time; contemporaneous.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *tempos / contemporary