arithmo- (English)
Where does "arithmo-" come from?
The English prefix 'arithmo-' comes directly from Ancient Greek 'ἀριθμός', which means 'number, counting, or arithmetic'[1]. Deeply rooted in linguistic history, the Ancient Greek term traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root '*h₂ri-dʰh₁-mó-s', which developed from '*h₂rey-', meaning 'to count or arrange'[2]. This root itself derives from an earlier base meaning 'to think or to count'[3], ultimately connecting to concepts of joining and preparing[4].
Open questions
- The early Proto-Indo-European ancestral forms and roots are reconstructed through comparative linguistics rather than direct textual attestation. [2] [3] [4]
Full etymology tree
- arithmo- (English), 'numbers; arithmetic'
- derived ἀριθμός (arithmós) (Ancient Greek), 'number'
- inherited *h₂ri-dʰh₁-mó-s (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *h₂rey- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to count, count out'
- derived *h₂reh₁- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to think, reason'
- derived *h₂er- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to fit, to fix, to put together, to slot'
- derived *-éyti (Proto-Indo-European), 'Forms aktionsart verbs from roots.'
- derived *h₂reh₁- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to think, reason'
- derived *h₂rey- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to count, count out'
- inherited *h₂ri-dʰh₁-mó-s (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived ἀριθμός (arithmós) (Ancient Greek), 'number'
Ancestors
- ἀριθμός (Ancient Greek)
Sources
- arithmo- (English) - Wiktionary
- ἀριθμός (arithmós) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
- h₂rey- (Proto-Indo-European) - Wiktionary
- h₂reh₁- (Proto-Indo-European) - Wiktionary
Updated August 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris