The Spanish preposition 'durante' (meaning 'during') comes from Latin roots. It originated from the Latin word 'durus' meaning 'hard', which evolved into the Latin verb 'durare' meaning 'to last or endure'. When this verb entered Spanish, it became 'durar' ('to last'). The word 'durante' was formed by adding the Latin present participle suffix '-nte' to the stem of 'durar', literally meaning 'lasting' before it developed its current use as a preposition meaning 'during'.

This etymology shows how the concept of hardness ('durus') became connected to the idea of lasting or enduring over time, and eventually to marking a duration or time period with 'durante'.

Some common Spanish words related to 'durante' include the verb 'durar' (to last) and the adjective 'duro' (hard). These words share the same Latin root 'durus'. While 'duro' retained the original meaning of hardness, 'durar' and 'durante' developed to express concepts of time and duration.

English speakers can connect 'durante' to several familiar English words that share the same Latin ancestry, such as 'endure', 'duration', and 'durable'. All these words carry the idea of lasting or continuing through time, just like the Spanish 'durante'. The English word 'during' itself, while serving the same function as 'durante', has a different etymology coming from Latin 'durare' but through Old French.