existential

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*steh₂-“to stand (up)”
2. Latin · derived fromexistēns, exsistēns“being, existing; appearing, emerging; becoming”
3. Latin · derived from-ālis
4. Late Latin · derived fromexistentia, exsistentia“existence”
5. Late Latin · learned borrowing fromexistentiālis, exsistentiālis“coming into or relating to existence”
6. English todayexistential

The adjective is a learned borrowing from Late Latin existentiālis, exsistentiālis (“coming into or relating to existence”) + English -al (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives; and forming nouns of verbal action). Existentiālis, exsistentiālis are derived from Late Latin existentia, exsistentia (“existence”) + Latin -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship); and existentia, exsistentia from Latin existēns, exsistēns (“being, existing; appearing, emerging; becoming”) (the present active participle of existō, exsistō (“to be, exist; to appear, emerge; to become”), from ex- (prefix meaning ‘away; out’) + sistō (“to cause to stand; to place, set; to halt, stop”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand (up)”))) + -ia (suffix forming feminine abstract nouns). The noun is derived from the adjective.

Words from the same roots