Etymology

ante litteram

Today it means: Before the term existed; before the term was coined. Full definition →

Latin ante
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

  1. Latin · borrowed fromante“before”
  2. English todayante litteram

From Latin ante (“before”) + litteram, accusative singular of littera (“letter, writing”).

Words from the same roots

Latinante all →

ancientanteantenatalante meridiemantependiumfissula ante fenestram

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.