English
temp.
Temp. comes from Latin tempore ‘in the time of’, from Proto-Italic *tempos ‘stretch’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *temp-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*temp-1‘to stretch, string’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tempos2‘stretch’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtempus3‘time’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtempore3‘in the time of’ablative case of tempus
- Englishtodaytemp.3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Italic *tempos
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin tempus
- 3 Wiktionary, English temp.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*temp-Wiktionary, Proto-Italic *tempos‘to stretch, string’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*temposWiktionary, Latin tempus‘stretch’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtempusWiktionary, English temp.‘time’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtemporeWiktionary, English temp.‘in the time of’ablative case of tempus
- Englishtodaytemp.Wiktionary, English temp.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *temp- ‘to stretch, string’
antenna, contemplate, contemplation, templar, contemporaneously, 19 more
through Proto-Italic *tempos ‘stretch’
temperature, temperament, temperate, tamper, temperance, contemporaneous, tempera, 13 more
through Latin tempus ‘time’
contemporary, temporary, temple, tense, temper, template, temporal, tempo, matin, tempestuous, tempura, 12 more
Today it means
adv In the time of (followed by an indicator of a historical period, especially a reigning monarch).
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “temp.”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Italic *tempos, Latin tempus. 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 *temp- / temp.