Etymograph

English

ultimate

Ultimate comes from Medieval Latin ultimātus ‘last’, from ultimō ‘to come to an end’, from ultimus ‘last’, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- ‘beyond’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*oltm̥mos‘last’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEultimus‘last’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEultimō‘to come to an end’
  5. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500ultimātus‘furthest’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1677ultimate

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*oltm̥mos‘last’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEultimus‘last’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEultimō‘to come to an end’
  5. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500ultimātus‘furthest’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1677ultimate

Earliest quotation: 1677, Robert Plot, Of the Heavens and Air: “[…] they [the sounds of an echo] next strike…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-

as, all, old, else, el, element, adult, alien, elder, ellen, alumni, outrage, ultra, ou, qualification, alpine, alter, altar, adolescent, altitude, alt, abolish, alias, alum, alto, alibi, alp, alimony, parallax, proletariat, retaliate, altruism, auld, coalesce, foetal, exalt, ulterior, althea, aad, eld, 67 more

Today it means

adj Final; last in a series.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- / ultimate

Shirt and support for this word