Etymology

preterm

P3R1E1T1E1R1M3

Today it means: Of a premature birth or baby. Full definition →

English term ← Middle English terme ← Old French terme
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*per-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*preh₂-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*préh₂i?
  4. Proto-Italic*prai
  5. Proto-Italic*prai-
  6. Latinprae-
  7. Middle Englishpre-
  8. Englishpre-
  9. Proto-Indo-European*terh₂-?
  10. Proto-Indo-European*ter-?
  11. Proto-Indo-European*térmn̥
  12. Proto-Italic*termn̥
  13. Proto-Italic*term(e)nos
  14. Latinterminus
  15. Old Frenchterme
  16. Middle Englishterme
  17. Englishterm
  18. English todaypreterm

From pre- + term.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.