English

coterminous

Coterminous comes from Latin conterminus ‘adjoining, neighboring, having a common border’, from Proto-Italic *term(e)nos ‘boundary stone’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *térmn̥.

Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*térmn̥‘boundary, end’reconstructed
Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*termn̥‘boundary stone’reconstructed
Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*term(e)nos‘boundary stone’reconstructed
Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEterminus‘border, end’
Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEconterminus‘adjoining, neighboring, having a common border’
Englishearliest quotation 1862coterminous

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*térmn̥‘boundary, end’reconstructed
Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*termn̥‘boundary stone’reconstructed
Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*term(e)nos‘boundary stone’reconstructed
Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEterminus‘border, end’
Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEconterminus‘adjoining, neighboring, having a common border’
Englishearliest quotation 1862coterminous

Earliest quotation: 1862, Anthony Trollope, North America. […]: “It has been the close vicinity of slave-owners to…”

Formed from co- + terminous

Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm ‘beside, near, by, with’

Proto-Italic *kom ‘with, along, at’

Proto-Italic *kom- ‘together’

English co-

The story

The spelling with co- instead of con- is probably influenced by the related prefix co-.

Linked words

Today it means

adj Meeting end to end or at the ends.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *térmn̥ / coterminous

Shirt and support for this word

coterminouscoterminous

Lineage

The story

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ter- ‘tender, weak’

through Proto-Indo-European *térmn̥ ‘boundary, end’

through Proto-Italic *termn̥ ‘boundary stone’

through Proto-Italic *term(e)nos ‘boundary stone’

through Latin terminus ‘border, end’

Today it means

coterminous