English
preposition
Preposition comes from Latin praepositio, from praepono ‘to place before’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tḱey- ‘to build, cultivate’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tḱey-‘to build, cultivate’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*tḱinétireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sinō‘to put in place’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsame form‘to put in place’reconstructed
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpōnō‘to place’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraepono‘to place before’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraepositio
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400preposicion
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500preposicioun‘a preposition’
- Englishearliest quotation 1811preposition
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tḱey-‘to build, cultivate’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*tḱinétireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sinō‘to put in place’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsame form‘to put in place’reconstructed
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpōnō‘to place’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraepono‘to place before’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraepositio
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400preposicion
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500preposicioun‘a preposition’
- Englishearliest quotation 1811preposition
Earliest quotation: 1811, 1516, Robert Fabyan: “[…] he made a longe preposicion & oracion cōcernynge…”
The story
So called because it is placed before the word with which it is phrased, as in a bridge of iron, he comes from town, it is good for food, he escaped by running.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *tḱey- ‘to build, cultivate’
homeless, suppose, compound, hamlet, impose, bohemian, homely, hame, 50 more
through Proto-Italic *sinō ‘to put in place’
compost, suppository, impost, compositor, apposite, presupposition, 39 more
through Latin *sinō ‘to put in place’
site, situation, posture, situate, compostela, supposition, positivism, situs, 16 more
through Latin pōnō ‘to place’
post, purpose, positive, opposite, opponent, opposition, expose, propose, composition, dispose, consolation, compose, proposition, proponent, exposition, repository, exponent, disposition, deposition, expound, imposition, posit, pone, presuppose, 47 more
Today it means
noun Any of a class of non-inflecting words and multiword terms typically employed to connect a following noun or a pronoun, in an adjectival or adverbial sense, with some other word: a particle used with a noun or pronoun (in English always in the objective case) to make a phrase limiting some other word.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *tḱey- / preposition