English
prepositional
Prepositional comes from Latin praepositiō ‘a setting before, a preposition’, from praepōnō ‘to place or set over as chief, commander, or…’, 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 CEpraepōnō‘to place or set over as chief, commander, or superintendent’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraepositiō‘a setting before, a preposition’
- Englishearliest quotation 1988prepositional
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 CEpraepōnō‘to place or set over as chief, commander, or superintendent’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraepositiō‘a setting before, a preposition’
- Englishearliest quotation 1988prepositional
Earliest quotation: 1988, Andrew Radford, Cambridge: “Although we have concentrated on Prepositions which take zero…”
Formed from -al
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *tḱey- ‘to build, cultivate’
suppose, homeless, compound, hamlet, impose, bohemian, homely, hame, 49 more
through Proto-Italic *sinō ‘to put in place’
opposition, proposition, compost, exposition, disposition, deposition, imposition, suppository, impost, compositor, apposite, presupposition, 38 more
through Latin *sinō ‘to put in place’
site, situation, composition, posture, situate, compostela, supposition, positivism, situs, 15 more
through Latin pōnō ‘to place’
post, purpose, positive, position, opposite, opponent, expose, propose, dispose, consolation, compose, proponent, repository, exponent, expound, posit, pone, presuppose, 53 more
Today it means
adj Of, pertaining to, or of the nature of a preposition.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *tḱey- / prepositional