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praeemineo

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word praeemineo

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
86–34 BC Sallust, Histories More words from the 1st century BC
Ultimate origin
Proto-Italic *prai-,*eks
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin ēmineō
Latin praeēmineō
From the same root
Latin ēminēns ← ēmineō

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [prae̯.eːˈmɪ.ne.oː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [pre.eˈmiː.ne.o][1]

Forms

praeēmineō (present infinitive praeēminēre, perfect active praeēminuī); second conjugation, no passive, no supine stem[1] It is also spelled praemineō.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin prae- (“before”) + ēmineō (“to stand out”).[1][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is a fragment of Sallust's Histories, in the spelling praemineō, in the literal sense of jutting out.[3][4][2]

Semantic evolution

The figurative sense “to surpass, excel” is post-Augustan, used in place of ēmineō, excellō or praestō;[2] it takes the accusative in the elder Seneca and in Tacitus (cēterōs) and the dative in Ausonius.[3][4] The literal sense returns in Augustine's Confessions and in the Digest, of prominent eyes.[3][2] Ecclesiastical Latin used it for excelling or being remarkable.[5] Its present participle, through Medieval Latin, gave English preeminent.[6]

Timeline

  • 86–34 BC – Sallust uses praemineō of something jutting out.[3][4][7]
  • 98–115 AD – Tacitus uses it with the accusative, “to surpass”.[3][4][7]
  • c. 310–394 AD – Ausonius uses it with the dative.[3][4][7]
  • 354–430 AD – Augustine uses it literally in the Confessions.[3][7]
  • early 15th century – English borrows preeminent, from the present participle.[6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To project forwards, be prominent.[2][3][1]
  2. (figurative) To surpass, excel, with the accusative or the dative.[2][3][4]

Word family

  • praeeminentia

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  5. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
Cite this entry

“Praeemineo.” Etymologically, 8 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/praeemineo. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·