immediate

The word "immediate" entered English in the late Middle English period, derived from the Anglo-French 'immediat' and ultimately from the Latin 'immediatus', meaning "without anything in between". It is formed from the negative prefix 'in-' (becoming 'im-') and 'mediatus', meaning "placed in the middle". The literal sense of "having no intermediary" evolved logically into the modern meanings of "without delay" (no intervening time) and "directly near" (no intervening space). This progression from a spatial concept of "middleness" to abstract notions of temporal and relational proximity is a classic example of semantic broadening.

Structure: im (not) + mediate (middle) - im: A Latin prefix meaning "not" or "without". It is an assimilated form of 'in-' used before roots beginning with 'm', 'p', or 'b'. - mediate: From Latin 'mediatus', the past participle of 'mediare' meaning "to be in the middle". The root 'medi-' means "middle".