English
limitary
Limitary comes from Latin līmitāris ‘limit, border’, from līmus ‘askew’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *Heh₃l- ‘to bow, to bend’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*Heh₃l-1‘to bow, to bend’uncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*līmos1uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElīmus2‘askew’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElīmes3‘a limit set between two estates or fields, border, boundary’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElīmitāris4‘limit, border’
- Englishearliest quotation 1667limitary4
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin limus
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin limes
- 3 Wiktionary, Latin limitaris
- 4 Wiktionary, English limitary
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1667, John Milton, (please specify the page number): “Proud limitary cherub.”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*Heh₃l-Wiktionary, Latin limus‘to bow, to bend’uncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*līmosWiktionary, Latin limusuncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElīmusWiktionary, Latin limes‘askew’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElīmesWiktionary, Latin limitaris‘a limit set between two estates or fields, border, boundary’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElīmitārisWiktionary, English limitary‘limit, border’
- Englishearliest quotation 1667limitaryWiktionary, English limitary. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1667, John Milton, (please specify the page number): “Proud limitary cherub.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *Heh₃l- ‘to bow, to bend’
sublime, ell, subliminal, ulna, 7 more
through Latin līmes ‘a limit set between two estates or fields,…’
Today it means
adj Of or pertaining to a limit or boundary.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “limitary”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin limus, Latin limes, Latin limitaris. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *Heh₃l- / limitary