tra-

tra-¹ across, beyond

Pronunciation

• /tra/^[1]

Etymology

The prefix meaning “across, beyond” is inherited from Latin trāns-, from trāns (“across, beyond”), which was pronounced early as ⟨trās-⟩, and ⟨trā-⟩ before a voiced consonant.^[2][3][4] Its oldest sense was spatial, “carrying beyond”, “passing through”, which many Italian words still show; an intensive sense developed from it, clearest in French très (“very”).^[2][3] Sabatini, Zingarelli and Treccani see the influence of ultrā (“beyond”) in some words, such as tracotante beside oltracotante.^[5][6][7] The learned forms of the same prefix are trans- and tras-.^[1]

The other Romance cognates are Occitan tras, Catalan tras, Spanish tras and Portuguese tras “beyond”.^[3] De Vaan explains the Latin word as a present participle Proto-Indo-European *tr̥h₂-n̥t-s (“crossing”), from the root of Sanskrit तरति (tárati, “crosses over”);^[8][3][1] Nocentini compares Old Irish tar, Old High German durh and Old English þurh.^[8][3][1]

Semantic evolution

Treccani lists the main uses: passage from one place or state to another (tramandare, trapassare), going through an object (trafiggere, traforare, trapelare), and crossing a limit (travalicare, tracimare).^[7][5] In the older language tra- could also intensify an adjective, a function taken over by stra-.^[7] DELI also puts here the senses “in a contrary or different direction” and, at times, attenuation.^[2]

Meanings

Prefix

1. Forms verbs of movement or passage from one place or state to another: tramandare, trapiantare, travasare.^[5][7][6]
2. Expresses going through something: trafiggere, traforare, trapelare.^[5][7][6]
3. Expresses going beyond a limit: tracimare, travalicare, tracotante.^[5][7][6]
4. (obsolete) Intensifies an adjective, like modern stra-.^[7]

Word family

• tramandare
• trapiantare
• travasare
• trafiggere
• traforare
• trapelare
• traboccare
• tracimare
• travalicare
• trapassare

tra-² between, among

Pronunciation

• /tra/^[1]

Etymology

The prefix meaning “between, among” is inherited from Latin intrā (“within”) with the loss of its first syllable; the Latin adverb became a prefix only rather late.^[2][3][5] It alternates with fra- and is the prefix use of the preposition tra.^[2][3] DELI explains intrā from inter (“between”), itself from in with an old locative ending;^[2][3] Nocentini takes it as the ablative feminine of an adjective *interus (“inner”).^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Treccani notes that with this sense tra- is close to the preposition: trasmettere and traporre stand beside frammettere and frapporre.^[7] With verbs of perception it marks uncertain or mistaken perception, as in travedere, and Sabatini and Treccani also put the attenuating use here, a state between two, as in tramortire and trasognato.^[7][5]

Meanings

Prefix

1. In the middle, among: tramezzo, trascegliere, traporre.^[5][7][6]
2. With verbs of perception, perceiving uncertainly or wrongly: travedere, traudire.^[7]
3. Attenuating, expressing an intermediate state: tramortire, trasognato.^[5][7][6]

Word family

• tramezzo
• trascegliere
• traporre
• tralasciare
• trattenere
• travedere
• traudire
• tramortire
• trasognato