Where does “smalt” come from?
smalt (Czech) comes from Italian smalto, from Old Occitan esmalt, from Latin smaltum, from Frankish smalt, from Proto-Germanic smeltaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)meld- — to soften, to melt.
smalt (Czech): enamel
Ancestry of “smalt”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Italian | smalto | enamel; glaze; tincture |
| 2 | Old Occitan | esmalt | enamel |
| 3 | Latin | smaltum | enamel |
| 4 | Frankish | smalt | melted fat; fat, lard; oil, semi-liquid fat |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | smeltaną | to melt |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)meld- | to soften, to melt |