Etymograph

English

dimensional

Dimensional comes from Latin dīmēnsiō ‘measuring (out)’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *meh₁-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*meh₁-‘to measure’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*mētisreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmētior‘to measure or estimate’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīmētior‘to measure (out or off)’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīmēnsiō‘measuring (out)’
  6. English1500–presentdimension
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1926dimensional

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*meh₁-‘to measure’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*mētisreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmētior‘to measure or estimate’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīmētior‘to measure (out or off)’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīmēnsiō‘measuring (out)’
  6. English1500–presentdimension
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1926dimensional

Earliest quotation: 1926, Hart Crane: “There is the world dimensional for those untwisted by…”

A compound of dimension + -al

Proto-Indo-European *meh₁- ‘to measure’

Proto-Italic *mētis

Latin mētior ‘to measure or estimate’

Latin dīmētior ‘to measure (out or off)’

Latin dīmēnsiō ‘measuring (out)’

English dimension

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *meh₁- ‘to measure’

month, moon, moral, meal, sunny, meter, metric, moody, metre, meta, asymmetry, menstrual, madder, metrology, mete, metis, metra, firman, moodiness, menses, 64 more

through Proto-Italic *mētis

commensal, 20 more

through Latin mētior ‘to measure or estimate’

measure, mesa, immense, commensurate, mensa, 21 more

Today it means

adj Of or pertaining to dimensions.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *meh₁- / dimensional