*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of dia-

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ ▲ Proto-Indo-European *trísinflu. Proto-Indo-European *dwísder. Ancient Greek διά (diá) Ancient Greek δῐᾰ- (dĭă-) English dia- From Ancient Greek prefix δια- (dia-), from διά (di

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In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
prefix

through, across · between

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ ▲ Proto-Indo-European *trísinflu. Proto-Indo-European *dwísder. Ancient Greek διά (diá) Ancient Greek δῐᾰ- (dĭă-) English dia- From Ancient Greek prefix δια- (dia-), from διά (diá, “through, across, by, over”).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":uder",
        "3": "grc:δῐᾰ-",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *dwóh₁\n▲\nProto-Indo-European *trísinflu.\nProto-Indo-European *dwísder.\nAncient Greek διά (diá)\nAncient Greek δῐᾰ- (dĭă-)\nEnglish dia-\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"twice\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"two\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*dwóh₁\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" }, { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"influ.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Influenced by\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"thrice\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*trís\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"influence\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*dwís\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"διά\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"δῐᾰ-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"uder\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"dia-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"dia-\">"
    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek"
    },
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        "2": ":uder",
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    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*dwóh₁",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/dwóh₁#Proto-Indo-European:_two"
    ],
    [
      "*trís",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/trís#Proto-Indo-European:_thrice"
    ],
    [
      "*dwís",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/dwís#Proto-Indo-European:_twice"
    ],
    [
      "διά",
      "διά#Ancient_Greek:_through"
    ],
    [
      "δῐᾰ-",
      "δια-#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "δια-",
      "δια-#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "διά",
      "διά#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prefix",
      "glosses": [
        "through, across",
        "between"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "recordId": "1002b12f9f5a4d60bcb745f8a51d25bed8c7f6953e17ef16086047cabe503a1f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "4eb06c760440523562f13a5767df9a3ca04c24001c26f54ba1d1847e3d57279f",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 186497
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for dia- →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-ZGlhLQ