Where does “a cappella” come from?
a cappella (Afrikaans) comes from English a cappella, from Italian a cappella, from Italian cappella, from Latin cappella, from Latin -ella, from Latin -ellus, from Latin -ulus, from Proto-Italic -olos — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
a cappella (Afrikaans): a cappella
Definitions
- a cappella
Ancestry of “a cappella”, step by step
a cappella traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English a cappella
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | a cappella | A vocal performance with no instrumental... |
| 2 | Italian | a cappella | a cappella |
| 3 | Italian | cappella | A chapel; A choir and accompanying musicians... |
| 4 | Latin | cappella | chapel; choir |
| 5 | Latin | -ella | inflection of -ellus: ## nominative/vocative... |
| 6 | Latin | -ellus | Alternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine... |
| 7 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
via Italian alla cappella
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | alla cappella | in the manner of the chapel |
via Dutch a capella
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | a capella | a cappella, singing without instrumental... |