Etymograph

English

interoperate

Interoperate comes from English operate ‘work’, from Latin operātus ‘having worked, laboured, toiled’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- ‘to work, toil, make’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃ep-‘to work, toil, make’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃épos‘work’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*opos‘work’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEopus‘work, labor, accomplishment’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEoperanext step skipped: Latin operor
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEoperātus‘having worked, laboured, toiled’
  7. English1500–presentoperate‘work’
  8. Englishtodayinteroperate

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃ep-‘to work, toil, make’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃épos‘work’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*opos‘work’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEopus‘work, labor, accomplishment’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEoperanext step skipped: Latin operor
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEoperātus‘having worked, laboured, toiled’
  7. English1500–presentoperate‘work’
  8. Englishtodayinteroperate

A compound of inter- ‘between, mutual’ + operate ‘work’

Proto-Indo-European *h₁én ‘in’

Proto-Indo-European *h₁entér ‘between’

Proto-Italic *n̥ter ‘between’

Latin inter ‘between’

English inter-

Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- ‘to work’

…

Proto-Italic *opos ‘work’

Latin opus ‘work’

Latin opera

Latin operātus ‘having worked’

English operate

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- ‘to work, toil, make’

office, official, bus, copy, omnibus, copious, opulence, officiate, omnivore, officious, officiant, 20 more

through Latin opus ‘work, labor, accomplishment’

opus, 8 more

through Latin opera

cooperation, opera, ure, oeuvre, operetta, 7 more

through Latin operātus ‘having worked, laboured, toiled’

operation, operator, operative, cooperate, 4 more

Today it means

verb To work reliably with another system.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- / interoperate