English
premier
Premier comes from Middle French premier, from Latin prīmārius ‘of the first rank’, from prīmus ‘first’, from Proto-Italic *prīsmos.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*preh₂-‘before’uncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pri‘before’reconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*prīsmos‘foremost’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprīmus‘first’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEprīmārius‘one of the first’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400premier‘first’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1882same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*preh₂-‘before’uncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pri‘before’reconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*prīsmos‘foremost’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprīmus‘first’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEprīmārius‘one of the first’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400premier‘first’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1882same form
Earliest quotation: 1882, Bernard Burke: “[…]dau. of Lord Forbes, Premier Baron of Scotland (the…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- ‘before, in front’
for, first, forbid, prestigious, prairie, preface, prefix, parasol, parley, portobello, precede, impregnate, preeminent, prescient, 17 more
through Proto-Italic *pri
through Latin prīmus ‘first’
prime, primitive, primal, primate, primo, primacy, primus, 10 more
through Latin prīmārius ‘one of the first, of the first rank, chief,…’
Today it means
adj Foremost; first or highest in quality or degree.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- / premier