entry
simultaneous
/ˌsɪməlˈteɪniəs/Happening or existing at the same time
From Latin simul (together).
from Medieval Latin simultaneus , ultimately
+1 more sourcefrom Medieval Latin simultaneus , ultimately
+1 more sourcefrom Latin simul "at the same time," which is related to similis "like, resembling, of the same kind" (see similar )....
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Medieval Latin simultaneus , ultimately
+1 more sourcefrom Medieval Latin simultaneus , ultimately
+1 more sourcefrom Latin simul "at the same time," which is related to similis "like, resembling, of the same kind" (see similar )....
+1 more sourcePicture two events striking the same instant: that is the basic image behind Latin simul, meaning “together” or “at the same time.” The word traveled into Medieval Latin as simultaneus and arrived in English in the 1650s, when scholars were busy furnishing English with technical vocabulary. Its family has a surprising resemblance theme: simul is related to Latin similis, “like,” which also gave English similar and simile—things are alike because they seem to belong together. Mark Twain later treated simultaneous as if it were a verb and coined simultane, meaning “to do something at the same time as something else,” in 1880. So when two screens refresh together, two clocks chime together, or two students raise their hands together, they are all quietly acting out the ancient Latin idea of simul.
The Story
Picture two events striking the same instant: that is the basic image behind Latin simul, meaning “together” or “at the same time.” The word traveled into Medieval Latin as simultaneus and arrived in English in the 1650s, when scholars were busy furnishing English with technical vocabulary. Its family has a surprising resemblance theme: simul is related to Latin similis, “like,” which also gave English similar and simile—things are alike because they seem to belong together. Mark Twain later treated simultaneous as if it were a verb and coined simultane, meaning “to do something at the same time as something else,” in 1880. So when two screens refresh together, two clocks chime together, or two students raise their hands together, they are all quietly acting out the ancient Latin idea of simul.
Kin & Kindred
From 'simul'·together; at the same time
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wiktionary