Etymograph

English

quasi-

Quasi- comes from Latin quasi ‘almost’, from quam ‘in what (which) way, to what (which) degree’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂m.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷeh₂mreconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kʷis‘who, what’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquam‘in what (which) way, to what (which) degree’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEquasi‘almost’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1974quasi-

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷeh₂mreconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kʷis‘who, what’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquam‘in what (which) way, to what (which) degree’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEquasi‘almost’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1974quasi-

Earliest quotation: 1974, Lawrence Durrell, Monsieur: “The quasi-death of insanity with its small periodic remissions,…”

Linked words

through Proto-Italic *kʷis ‘who, what’

quid, 3 more

Today it means

prefix Almost; virtually.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂m / quasi-

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