Etymology

Mediterranean

M3E1D2I1T1E1R1R1A1N1E1A1N1

Today it means: Of or pertaining to the Mediterranean Sea and its surrounding region. Full definition →

Latin mediterrāneus ← Proto-Italic *tersā ← Proto-Indo-European *ters-eh₂
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*me
  2. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-?
  3. Proto-Indo-European*médʰi
  4. Proto-Indo-European*médʰyos
  5. Proto-Italic*meðios
  6. Latinmedius
  7. Proto-Indo-European*ters-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*ters-eh₂
  9. Proto-Italic*tersā
  10. Latinterra
  11. Latinmediterrāneus
  12. English todayMediterranean

From Latin mediterrāneus (“inland”, from medius (“middle”) + terra (“earth, land”) + -āneus (adjectival suffix)) + -an.

Words from the same roots

Latinmediterrāneus all →

Mediterranemediterranean sea

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.