Etymograph

English

preclare

Preclare comes from Latin praeclarus ‘very clear or bright’, and perhaps goes back to Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- ‘to call out to’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kelh₁-1‘to call out to’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kl̥h₁rós1uncertain
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*klāros1uncertain
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEclarus1‘clear, bright’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraeclarus2‘very clear or bright’
  6. Englishtodaypreclare2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin praeclarus
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English preclare

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kelh₁-Wiktionary, Latin praeclarus‘to call out to’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kl̥h₁rósWiktionary, Latin praeclarusuncertain
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*klārosWiktionary, Latin praeclarusuncertain
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEclarusWiktionary, Latin praeclarus‘clear, bright’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraeclarusWiktionary, English preclare‘very clear or bright’
  6. EnglishtodaypreclareWiktionary, English preclare

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- ‘to call out to’

low, hell, claim, classic, calendar, haul, reconciliation, reconcile, classify, proclamation, squeal, exclamation, reclamation, irreconcilable, clamour, clamor, ecclesiastic, conciliar, clas, ecclesial, 35 more

through Latin clarus ‘clear, bright’

clear, claire, clarity, clarification, declare, clarinet, clarion, claret, 10 more

Today it means

adj illustrious, distinguished

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “preclare”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin praeclarus. 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 *kelh₁- / preclare

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