exterior (English)

Where does "exterior" come from?

The English adjective 'exterior' comes directly from the Latin 'exterior'[1]. It traveled into English with meanings relating to the outside parts or surface of something, being from outside a country or foreign, and outdoor.

Full etymology tree

• exterior (English), 'Relating to the outside parts or surface of something.'
  • borrowed exterior (Latin), 'comparative degree of exter; outward, outer, exterior'

Ancestors

• exterior (Latin)

Descendants and derived words

• exterior angle (English)
• exterior derivative (English)
• exteriorisation (English)
• exteriorise (English)
• exteriority (English)
• exteriorization (English)
• exteriorize (English)
• exteriorly (English)
• exteriorness (English)
• exterior product (English)

Sources

1. exterior (English) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris