omni-comb. form

Etymology: < classical Latin omni-, combining form (in e.g. omnigenus (see omnigenous adj.), omniparēns omniparent adj., omnipotēns omnipotent adj., omnivorus (see omnivorous adj.)) of omnis all (of unknown origin). Subsequent formations are found in early post-classical Latin, as omniscius (see omniscious adj.), omnivalens (see omnivalent adj. ), and later in scholastic use, as omnipraesens omnipresent adj., omniscientia omniscience n. Further formations are found in scientific Latin, French, and English on the model of these, or in English supplying a Latinized equivalent of an English compound in all adv. Compare French omni- (formations in which are found from the early 19th cent.), Spanish omni-, Italian onni-.Rare before the 16th cent. Earliest in the French and classical Latin loan omnipotent adj. (compare also omnipotence n. < French and post-classical Latin) and in the English formation omnigatherum n. During the 16th and 17th cent., the word is attested chiefly in loans from classical and post-classical Latin (e.g. omnifarious adj., omniparent adj. and n., omniscious adj., omnivorous adj.), although also found in some English formations (e.g. omniregency n., omnify v., omnific adj.), which become increasingly common from this time onwards. The position of the stress differs between compounds of omni- in accordance with the general stress patterns of English. Contrastive stress may also give rise contextually to primary stress on the first syllable of the prefix in compounds where the stress ordinarily falls elsewhere.