English
preemption
Preemption comes from Latin emō ‘buy’, from Proto-Italic *emō ‘to take’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁em-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁em-1‘to take, distribute’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*emō1‘to take’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEemō2‘buy’
- Englishtodaypreemption2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin emo, which cites Rix
- 2 Wiktionary, English preemption
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁em-Wiktionary, Latin emo, which cites Rix‘to take, distribute’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*emōWiktionary, Latin emo, which cites Rix‘to take’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEemōWiktionary, English preemption‘buy’
- EnglishtodaypreemptionWiktionary, English preemption
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₁em- ‘to take, distribute’
exempt, pommel, pomade, 54 more
through Proto-Italic *emō ‘to take’
assume, presume, sumptuous, 45 more
through Latin emō ‘buy’
consumer, resume, premium, consume, ransom, assumption, redeem, redemption, exemption, consumable, emptor, overconsumption, 40 more
Today it means
noun An act or process that preempts; a preventive or forestalling action; as: The purchase of something before it is offered for sale to others.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “preemption”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin emo. 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 *h₁em- / preemption