Where does “tampon” come from?
tampon (Dutch) comes from French tampon, from Middle French tampon, from Middle French tapon, from Old French tape, from Frankish tappō, from Proto-Germanic tappô, from Proto-Indo-European deh₂p-, from Proto-Indo-European deh₂- — to share, divide.
Ancestry of “tampon”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | tampon | Piece of wood or other material to close an... |
| 2 | Middle French | tampon | — |
| 3 | Middle French | tapon | — |
| 4 | Old French | tape | plug, bung, tap |
| 5 | Frankish | tappō | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | tappô | plug; tap |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | deh₂p- | to sacrifice; to lose |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | deh₂- | to share, divide |