Etymograph

English

quantity

Quantity comes from Latin quantus ‘how much’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *kʷ- ‘the primary interrogative root’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷ-‘the primary interrogative root’root as named
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷéh₂onts‘how much, how many’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kʷāntos‘how much, many’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquantus‘how much’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEquantitās
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400quantité
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500quantite‘a specified piece or quantity of a greater whole or unit’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1985quantity

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷ-‘the primary interrogative root’root as named
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷéh₂onts‘how much, how many’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kʷāntos‘how much, many’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquantus‘how much’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEquantitās
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400quantité
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500quantite‘a specified piece or quantity of a greater whole or unit’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1985quantity

Earliest quotation: 1985, Serge Lang, Math!: Encounters with High School Students: “ANN. ra quantity cubed. SERGE LANG. That's right, (ra)³.”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *kʷ- ‘the primary interrogative root’

what, when, who, which, how, where, why, whether, whose, whom, neutral, ubiquitous, rapunzel, quip, whither, ubiquity, cadenza, 13 more

Today it means

noun A fundamental, generic term used when referring to the measurement (count, amount) of a scalar, vector, number of items or to some other way of denominating the value of a collection or group of items.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kʷ- / quantity

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